Konstantinos Kotsampas (Universität Wien)
Konstantinos Kotsampas erhielt den Preis für die beste pflanzenwissenschaftliche Master-Arbeit, die an der Universität Wien im Jahr 2025 erstellt wurde, von der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft für die Arbeit:
Species of the Prospero autumnale complex in Crete
The six local endemic species from Crete belonging to the chromosomally diverse Prospero autumnale complex were analysed comprehensively for the first time, revealing population uniformity within each segregate and enabling comparison with established diploid and polyploid cytotypes.
The Prospero autumnale complex is characterized by numerous distinct cytotypes with only minor morphological differentiation; nevertheless, multiple local segregates have been described across its distribution range, largely based on morphology, raising questions about their taxonomic status in light of the group’s pronounced karyological complexity. The six validly described species endemic to the island of Crete were collected from their respective loci classici, from which they are exclusively known. These taxa were analysed using a multidisciplinary approach combining multivariate comparative morphometric analyses, detailed karyological analyses including chromosome counts based on Feulgen staining, genome size estimation by flow cytometry, satellite mapping using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and phylogenetic inference based on maximum-likelihood analyses of nuclear ITS sequences. The results neither clearly support nor contradict the current taxonomic treatment of the six analysed species, but provide important insights into intra- and interpopulational variation. Local populations exhibit partly distinct combinations of morphological traits and are cytologically uniform, despite the high cytological diversity reported from the region. All analysed individuals correspond to previously described chromosomal races, with no evidence that chromosomal differentiation underlies the observed morphological variation. Although morphometric analyses reveal population-level morphological clustering, morphological differentiation and cytotype variation are insufficient to robustly support recognition of the six taxa as distinct species, a conclusion that is further supported by phylogenetic analyses grouping populations according to cytotype. This study provides a methodological framework for investigating taxonomically challenging, chromosomally complex groups. However, a more comprehensive understanding of the patterns and processes underlying morphological, cytological, and ecological differentiation within the Prospero autumnale complex on Crete will require broader and denser sampling, complemented by high-resolution sequencing and genome-wide genomic analyses.
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Konstantinos Kotsampas conducted this work at the University of Vienna in the international Master Program Botany in the working group of Plant Evolutionary Cytogenetics under the supervision of Hanna Schneeweiss.
