0000000000073979
AUTHOR
Maurici Mus
Who threatens who? Natural hybridization between Lotus dorycnium and the island endemic Lotus fulgurans (Fabaceae)
In contrast to its creative role in plant evolution, hybridization may be a cause for concern in efforts to preserve rare and endangered species. Threats can be more acute when population sizes are unequal and when barriers to introgression are weak. Lotus fulgurans is an endangered Balearic Islands endemic shrub related to the widespread Mediterranean species Lotus dorycnium. Both species are morphologically distinct when they grow together. However, morphologically intermediate individuals have been observed on the island of Minorca, in a single, narrowly localized, and apparently stable hybrid zone. Morphological and molecular markers suggest that gene flow between these two Lotus specie…
Population genetic study in the Balearic endemic plant speciesDigitalis minor(Scrophulariaceae) using RAPD markers
Digitalis minor (Scrophulariaceae) is a cardenolide-producing plant endemic to the eastern Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Menorca, and Cabrera) that occurs in two morphologically distinct varieties: D. minor var. minor (pubescent) and D. minor var. palaui (glabrous). Levels and patterns of genetic diversity in 162 individuals from 17 D. minor populations across the entire geographic range were assessed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Comigrating RAPD fragments tested were found to be homologous by Southern hybridization in both var. minor and var. palaui. To avoid bias in parameter estimation, analyses of population genetic structure were restricted to those RAPD bands t…
The taxonomy of Galium crespianum J.J. Rodr. (Rubiaceae), a Balearic Islands endemic revisited
Abstract Galium crespianum J.J. Rodr. is a perennial plant inhabiting cliffs and crevices on the Balearic Islands. Although it was described from the mountains of Mallorca, several populations from the islands of Eivissa and Formentera have been traditionally considered as belonging to the same species. A careful comparison of specimens from the western and eastern Balearics revealed several discriminant features in gross morphology (robustness and habit of the stems, presence or absence of hairs at the internodes and leaves, waxiness of stems and leaves, shape of the inflorescence, flower colour and scent) and stem anatomy. In addition, several mutations in the ribosomal ITS sequences dist…
Leaf shape variation and taxonomic boundaries in two sympatric rupicolous species of Helichrysum (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae), assessed by linear measurements and geometric morphometry
Quantifying and understanding the causes of population differentiation in plants are critical for assessing the taxonomic structure of species, as the level of differentiation among populations may correspond to incipient speciation. Using linear and geometric morphometric approaches, phenotypic variation and associations between leaf traits and geographic and environmental characteristics were investigated in Helichrysum crassifolium and the widespread and sympatric Helichrysum pendulum: two species exhibiting conspicuous leaf variation in size and shape. The morphometric results show that both species have distinct patterns of leaf shape variation. However, overlapping values link the ran…