Microevolutionary processes within Cystopteris fragilis polymorphic fern complex

The aim of the proposed project is to clarify microevolutionary mechanisms of Cystopteris fragilis agg., which represents a last biosystematically unstudied polymorphic complex of European ferns. Project consists of cytogeographic part (ploidy level and absolute genome size; ecological statistics) and of analysis of haplotype variability chloroplast DNA (cpDNA). Ploidy level and absolute genome size were assessed by flow cytometry and ecological niches comparison showed on cytotype ecological preferences. CpDNA haplotype analysis was adopted to reconstruct basic relationships and migration history of Cystopteris fragilis agg. European taxa and even for reconstruction unclear taxonomic position of C. dickieana. Key words: Cystopteris fragilis, polyploidy, apomixy, flow cytometry, cpDNA