| Abstract Detail
Floristics & Taxonomy Augustine, Nathan [1], Ballard Jr, Harvey [2]. Spore sizes reveal ploidy levels in known and new Great Lakes Bog Clubmosses (Lycopodiella, Lycopodiaceae). The genus Lycopodiella (Lycopodiaceae) currently includes 15 species distributed throughout South America, the Atlantic coastal plain, and the Great Lakes region. The most extensive study of the Great Lakes Lycopodiella comes from a chapter in James Bruce’s unpublished 1975 dissertation. Bruce provides cytogenetic and morphological evidence for diploid L. inundata and two undescribed tetraploid species “Appressed Inundata” and “Northern Appressa”. More recently a phenetic analysis of morphological data conducted by Ballard and Jason Larson confirmed that “Appressed Inundata” and “Northern Appressa” separate from other species and revealed two other undescribed species, “Robust Inundata” and “Shade Appressed Inundata”. Ploidy level serves as a valuable line of evidence for the species delimitation process and can be determined using various methods; here we took a classical approach by measuring spore sizes to distinguish diploids and polyploids. Spores were sampled from multiple individuals of each species from both extant and historical populations. Data reveal a diploid size range for L. inundata; a tetraploid size range for “Appressed Inundata”, “Northern Appressa” and “Robust Inundata”; and a hexaploid or octoploid size range for “Shade Appressed Inundata”, the latter being a new higher ploidy level for North American Lycopodiella. These new findings support the recognition of five distinct Lycopodiella species within the Great Lakes region, confirming three ploidy levels, one of which is new.
1 - Ohio University , Environmental and Plant Biology , 315 Porter Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
2 - Ohio University, Environmental & Plant Biology, 315 Porter Hall, Athens, OH, 45701, United States
Keywords:
Lycopodiella
Great Lakes region
Spore sizes
Diploid and polyploid .
Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PFT010
Abstract ID:632
Candidate for Awards:None |
