The genetic, morphological and taxonomic diversity of the genus Sorbus is due to homoploid and polyploid hybridisation, autopolyploidy and apomixis, which also influence the production and diversity of secondary metabolites, especially flavonoids. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships and variations of flavonoids in terms of hybrid origin and ploidy level between the parental species and their hybrid derivatives. The sampling design included leaf material of the following Sorbus accessions from ten natural localities: parental taxa (di-, tri- and tetraploids of S. aria; diploid S. torminalis and S. aucuparia) and their di-, tri- and tetraploid hybrid derivatives from crosses of S. aria × S. torminalis (subg. Tormaria) as well as the tetraploid S. austriaca and S. bosniaca, which originate from crosses of S. aria × S. aucuparia (subg. Soraria). We analysed the flavonoid profiles from the leaf fractions by LC-MS. A total of 23 flavonoids were identified, including apigenin and luteolin derivatives, which distinguish the hybrid groups from each other. This profiling highlights the distinctiveness of the Tormaria and Soraria accessions and emphasises the potential of the subg. Tormaria for further research on bioactive compounds in biological studies.

Polyploidy is a powerful mechanism driving genetic, physiological, and phenotypic changes among cytotypes of the same species across both large and small geographic scales. These changes can significantly shape population structure and increase the evolutionary and adaptation potential of cytotypes. Alyssum moellendorfianum, an edaphic steno-endemic species with a narrow distribution in the Balkan Peninsula, serves as an intriguing case study. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of genetic diversity and population structure across the species’ range, employing an array of genetic techniques (nuclear microsatellites, amplified fragment length polymorphisms, and plastid DNA sequences), flow cytometry (FCM), morphometry, and pollen analysis. The study reveals two genetic lineages: spatially distributed diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. Clear divergence between diploids and tetraploids was shown by AFLP, while plastid DNA sequences confirmed private haplotypes in each of the studied populations. Higher genetic diversity and allelic richness following the north-south pattern were documented in tetraploids compared to diploids, as indicated by nuclear microsatellites. Morphometric analysis via principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) did not reveal any divergence between diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. Nonetheless, a distinction in pollen size was clearly observed. The results suggest an autopolyploid origin of tetraploids from diploid ancestors. Despite the population fragmentation in a very small geographic range, these populations harbour high genetic diversity, which would allow them to remain stable if natural processes remain undisturbed.

Simple Summary The genus Sorbus (whitebeams, rowans, and service trees) encompasses forest trees and shrubs characterised by exceptional diversity resulting from the interplay of polyploidisation, hybridization, and apomixis. The spatiotemporal processes driving Sorbus diversification remain poorly understood. This research aims to provide insights into the evolution and diversification patterns of mountain whitebeam (S. austriaca) covering most of its range in the mountains of Central and South-eastern Europe. Our molecular and morphometric data revealed pronounced cryptic diversity within the S. austriaca complex; it is composed of different lineages, that likely originated via multiple allopolyploidisations accompanied by apomixes, and these lineages exhibit different distribution patterns. Our results are particularly valuable from a biodiversity conservation perspective due to the continuing generation of novel diversity in sympatric populations of the parental taxa. Such derived diversity requires process-oriented conservation plans and measures. Abstract The interplay of polyploidisation, hybridization, and apomixis contributed to the exceptional diversity of Sorbus (Rosaceae), giving rise to a mosaic of genetic and morphological entities. The Sorbus austriaca species complex from the mountains of Central and South-eastern Europe represents an allopolyploid apomictic system of populations that originated following hybridisation between S. aria and S. aucuparia. However, the mode and frequency of such allopolyploidisations and the relationships among different, morphologically more or less similar populations that have often been described as different taxa remain largely unexplored. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting, plastid DNA sequencing, and analyses of nuclear microsatellites, along with multivariate morphometrics and ploidy data, to disentangle the relationships among populations within this intricate complex. Our results revealed a mosaic of genetic lineages—many of which have not been taxonomically recognised—that originated via multiple allopolyploidisations. The clonal structure within and among populations was then maintained via apomixis. Our results thus support previous findings that hybridisation, polyploidization, and apomixis are the main drivers of Sorbus diversification in Europe.

Cotoneaster integerrimus represents a multiploid and facultative apomictic system of widely distributed mountain populations. We used flow cytometry to determine genome size, ploidy level, and reproduction mode variation of the Balkan populations, supplemented by analysis of nuclear microsatellites in order to address: (i) geographic distribution and variation of cytotypes among the populations; (ii) variation of reproduction mode and the frequency of sexuality; (iii) pathways of endosperm formation among the sampled polyploids and their endosperm balance requirements; (iv) genotypic diversity and geographic distribution of clonal lineages of polyploids. The prevalence of apomictic tetraploid cytotype followed by sexual diploids and extremely rare triploids was demonstrated. This prevalence of tetraploids affected the populations’ structure composed from clonal genotypes with varying proportions. The co-occurrence of diploids and tetraploids generated higher cytotype, reproductive mode, and genotypic diversity, but mixed-ploidy sites were extremely rare. The endosperm imbalance facilitates the development and the occurrence of intermediate triploids in mixed-ploidy populations, but also different tetraploid lineages elsewhere with unbalanced endosperm. All these results showed that the South European populations of C. integerrimus have higher levels of cytotype and reproductive diversity compared to the Central European ones. Therefore, the South European populations can be considered as a potential reservoir of regional and global diversity for this species.

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: cyanobacteria Anagnostidinema amphibium, mycorrhizal fungus Tricholoma frondosae, stonewort Chara connivens, mosses Dicranum polysetum and Ulota intermedia, and dicots Eclipta prostrata, Paeonia daurica subsp. daurica, Ruta graveolens and Sorbus bosniaca.

This paper presents new records and noteworthy data on the following taxa in SE Europe and adjacent regions: the diatom alga Eunotia boreoalpina; the saprotrophic fungus Clitocybe truncicola; the liverwort Haplomitrium hookeri; the moss Leptodon smithii: the monocots Epipactis purpurata, Stipa tirsa, Typha laxmannii and T. shuttleworthii; and the dicots Krascheninnikovia ceratoides, Polygonum albanicum and Sorbus latifolia.

Pinus heldreichii (Bosnian pine) is a Balkan-Apennine endemic and relict pine species that inhabits high mountains in the Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean regions. Nineteen populations of P. heldreichii from the Western Balkans encompassing 187 individual trees were examined to evaluate morphological variation, a rarely studied aspect of the species. Univariate and multivariate statistics were applied in order to assess the variation of morphological traits of cones and seeds, evaluate the relationships among the sampled populations and verify geographic differentiation in the Dinaric Alps versus Scardo-Pindic mountains. The observations of P. heldreichii covering the populations from the western margins and the centre of the species distribution range indicated a morphological variation among populations and their geographic structure. In general, the southern populations (Scardo-Pindic group) had lower values for the most of morphological traits than the northern ones (Dinaric group). The observed geographic differences between these populations exhibit a north-western to south-eastern gradient, with a few inconsistencies. The southernmost sampled population, Tomorr in Albania, showed remarkable morphological divergence from the other studied populations and appeared to be a distinct morphological group. The pattern of morphological variation in Bosnian pine most likely resulted from multiple effects of long-term isolation and fragmentation in high mountain systems, adaptation to extreme environments and human disturbances.