Patterns of genetic and phenotypic variation in Iris haynei and I. atrofusca (Iris sect. Oncocyclus = the royal irises) along an ecogeographical gradient in Israel and the West Bank.

Iris haynei and I. atrofusca are two closely related narrow endemics distributed vicariously along an ecogeographical north-south gradient in Israel and the West Bank. To obtain baseline information of the taxonomic status, conservation and population history of these taxa, we investigated patterns of phenotypic variation and the partitioning of genetic variation within and among populations using dominant random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Multivariate (principal components analysis) and taxonomic distance analyses based on morphometric traits from eight populations revealed no unambiguous separation into two distinct groups. Results of genetic analyses for nine populations d…