Abstract Detail

Floristics & Taxonomy

Hughes, Caitlyn [1], McNair, Mason C [2], Leebens-Mack, Jim [3].

Identification of phenotypic plasticity in common garden Cercis canadensis..

Within-species Cercis taxonomy is currently under question with classifications largely based on morphological characteristics. Previous work has designated several varieties based on leaf, flower, and fruit measurements including C. canadensis var. canadensis and C. canadensis var. texensis. To test whether morphology was robust to environment, samples from the JC Raulston Arboretum in North Carolina were collected, mounted using herbarium techniques, digitized, and processed. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was generated with the collected data from previous literature and our 11 morphological characteristics such as leaf, flower, and fruit length and width. The PCA revealed large overlaps between common garden C. canadensis var. canadensis and var. texensis, with wild-type var. canadensis also showing a large overlap with common garden var. texensis. A lack of distinction between PCA groupings suggests that Cercis morphology is influenced by environment, as we would have otherwise expected varieties to maintain distinct morphological characteristics regardless of environment. Our results may indicate phenotypic plasticity in Cercis canadensis.

1 - 205 Cedar Woods Way, Canton, GA, 30114, United States
2 - University of Georgia, Plant Biology, 120 Carlton Street, Department of Plant Biology, Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, United States
3 - University Of Georgia, Plant Biology, 2101 Miller Plant Sciences, Athens, GA, 30602, United States

Keywords:
morphometrics
systematics
herbariomics
common garden.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PFT008
Abstract ID:512
Candidate for Awards:None