Abstract

Asteraceae family grows as wild plants in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia near the Gulf coast with prevalent high humidity coupled with more moderate temperatures. Eight genera were collected during the flowering season to study genetic diversity according to protein patterns for each plant. The protein patterns showed different numbers of bands, concentrations, molecular weight and intensity. Two common bands were observed to ensure the existence of fixed gene and it can also be considered as a marker of the studied genera. Protein profiles revealed genetic diversity among these species for adaptation to environmental factors. Similarity coefficient was high for Sonchus oleranceus and Senecio desfontainei, while low for Launaea capitata and Osteospermum vaillantii among the studied plants. The hierarchical cluster analysis, formed two major clusters, which indicates the existence of genetic diversity among the studied genera. The first cluster was divided into two sub-clusters. Sub-cluster A comprised three species, Scorzonera  papposa , Senecio desfontainei , and Sonchus oleranceus; and the second sub-cluster B comprised four species Anthemis melampodina, Echinops hussoni, Launaea capitata, and O. vaillanti. The second cluster contained only one species Artemisia inculta, which suggests that the Asteraceae family may have more than one evolutionary line.

Key word: Asteraceae, genetic diversity, protein patterns.