Preliminary genetic study on species from genus Deschampsia from Antarctic(King George I.) and Arctic(Spitsbergen)

The aim of this study was to analyze the variation among three polar species Deschampsia antarctica, Deschampsia alpina and Deschampsia brevifolia. Genomic DNA samples were extracted from individual plants and analyzed by AFLP technique. More than 322 polymorphic AFLP bands that allowed determination of genetic relationships among three Deschampsia species were obtained. The present investigation reveals that D. antarctica was more similar to a species from the Arctic(D. brevifolia) than was D. alpina. Also, the genetic diversity within population of D. antarctica was greater than those within the analyzed populations of D. brevifolia and D. alpina.