Project IRIS addresses one of the central problems in evolutionary and conservation biology - maintenance of genetic polymorphism. The integrate set of state-of-the-art approaches will be apply on flower color polymorphism in natural populations of Iris pumila L., endangered species inhabiting of Special Nature Reserve Deliblato Sand. The flower color polymorphism in I.pumila populations makes it a superb object for this type of evolutionary study. In this approach we will efficiently analyze huge new and existing data sets from several flowering seasons by using drone digital photographs, overcoming previous limitations of much smaller samples restricted to flowering peak. Variability in flower color will now be precisely accessed by reflectance spectroscopy in the field, removing previous subjectivity in visual identification that led to inconsistencies in defining color morphs. This will be followed by HPLC analysis of relevant pigments, providing insights into polymorphism biochemical basis. Microsatellite genetic analyses will immensely supplement previous utilization of flower color in identifying different genotypes in a population, as the most cost-efficient method for this purpose. Expected results will include precise multi-year identification and characterization of I.pumila genotypes and assessment of their spatial and temporal patterns in the population. The research will provide tools for cutting-edge insights into population dynamics and polymorphism maintenance. The project results will have an impact on other evolutionary studies, on sustainable within-species biodiversity protection, and on monitoring environmental changes (including climate ones), giving textbook example for the much-needed promotion of evolutionary biology.

Project coordinator:
Dr. Danijela Miljković, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković"

Members from IBISS:
Dr. Aleksej Tarasjev, Department of Evolutionary Biology
Dr. Stevan Avramov, Department of Evolutionary Biology
Dr. Nataša Barišić Klisarić, Department of Evolutionary Biology
Dr. Uroš Živković, Department of Evolutionary Biology