DNA Phytogeography on Alpine Plants

本研究的目的是通过分析高山植物的DNA序列变异来建立DNA植物地理学。首先，由于高山植物通常只有少量的材料，所以首先，一种新的简单的提取和扩增总DNA的方法。从日本群岛和北半球环极地区广泛采集了42种高山植物的210个标本。叶绿体DNA中trnL和trnF之间的基因间隔区主要用于这一目的。作为测序的结果。(1)种内没有DNA变异的物种，如兰花；(2)种内DNA变异，但在地理上无意义的物种，如狭叶沙棘、越桔、一枝黄花；(3)种内DNA变异显著的物种，如报春花和马先丹。在报春花和马先丹中分别检测到6种和11种DNA类型。在这两个物种中，植物可分为两大类，北方和南方。发现占据本州中央山区的南部群在每一座山脉或山脉上都分化为亚群，而北部群分化较少，分布范围较广。DNA核苷酸序列的这种地理变异对于高山植物的历史分析是非常有用的。

The present study aims to establish DNA phytogeography through the procedure to analyze historical aspects of the alpine plants on he basis of variation of nucleotide sequence of DNA.First of all, a new simple method to extract and amplify total DNA, because usually only small quantity of materials is available in the case of alpine plants. 210 samples of 42 alpine plants were widely collected not only from the Japan Archipelagoes but also from the circumpolar region of Northern Hemisphere. The intergenic spacer between trnL and trnF in chloroplast DNA was nainly used for this purpose. As the result of sequencing. three cases were recognized as followa :(1) Species without intraspecific DNA variation as exemplified by Orchis aristata.(2) Species with intraspecific DNA variation, but gegraphically meaningless, as exemplified by Chamerion angustifolium, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Solidago virga-aurea.(3) Species with intraspecific DNA variation geographically significant, as exemplified by Primula cunefolia and Pedicularis chamissonis.In Primula cuneifolia and Pedicularis chamissonis, 6 and 11 DNA types were detected, respectively. In both species, the plants were divisible into two major groups, north and South. The south groups occupying the Central Moutain Regions of Honshu were found to have differentiated into subgroups in each mountain or mountain range, while the north group was less differentiated and distributed in rather wide area. Such geographical variations of DNA nucleotide sequence is certainly useful for historical anaysis of the alpine plants.