The nucleus-nucleolus polymorphism in seeds of marginal populations of four conifer species

Abstract

Aims. Comparative analysis of nucleus-nucleolus polymorphism in marginal populations of four conifer species. Methods. Nucleoli staining with AgNO₃ in interphase cells of seedlings. Results. The narrowest range of variability of the nuclei number in an interphase cell (2 – 9) is characteristic of the species with a wide range – Pinus sylvestris L., and the widest range of this variability is characteristic of P. brutia var. pityusa (1 – 13), as well as the highest number of nucleoli in a nucleus (7,3). These species had also the lowest nucleus-nucleolus ratio (4 – 4,5), which is notably lower than its values in P. pallasiana in Crimea (7,2), and Picea abies in Ukrainian Polesye (12,7). Conclusions. The studied conifer species differed significantly by the activity of nuclear organizer.

Key words: nucleolus, four conifer species, seedlings.