Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic differentiation of the endemic grass species Deschampsia littoralis at pre-Alpine lakes

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Alpine Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Deschampsia littoralis is an endemic tetraploid Poaceae occurring on the shores of pre-Alpine lakes. It is closely related to the diploid and widespread D. cespitosa. Several D. littoralis populations from Lake Constance are vegetatively propagating through pseudoviviparous spikelets. These latter populations were formerly described as a separate species, D. rhenana. Still, the species status of D. rhenana has been questioned since, apart from pseudovivipary, no morphological differentiation from D. littoralis is observed. Both species are highly endangered and accurate assessment of taxon status is needed for conservation management. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting to assess whether D. rhenana from Lake Constance (43 specimens) was genetically differentiated from D. littoralis (11 specimens collected at Lac de Joux, incl. Lac Brenet) and the widespread D. cespitosa (48 specimens). An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 12 % of the genetic diversity occurred among the three species, 7 % occurred among populations within species and 81 % within populations. Principal coordinate analysis and fuzzy c-means clustering showed that D. rhenana was genetically distinct from D. littoralis. In addition, both species differed in levels of genetic diversity and clustering, with D. rhenana being the most divergent and structured species. D. littoralis appeared as genetically intermediate between D. rhenana and D. cespitosa. These results suggested that (1) all species are closely related, (2) genetic variation within populations is high even in the asexually propagating D. rhenana and (3) D. rhenana is more distinct from D. cespitosa than is D. littoralis. We therefore suggest to treat D. rhenana from Lake Constance and D. littoralis from Lac de Joux as independent evolutionary units in conservation management.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Albers F (1975) Pollenmorphologie und Chromosomenzahlen des Poaceen-Subtribus Deschampsiinae Holub. Grana 15:7–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Albers F (1978) Beitrag zur Taxonomie, Systematik und Evolution der Subtriben Aristaveninae und Airinae (Gramineae-Aveneae). Habilitation thesis. University of Kiel, Kiel

    Google Scholar 

  • Arrigo N, Tuszynski JW, Ehrich D, Gerdes T, Alvarez N (2009) Evaluating the impact of scoring parameters on the structure of intra-specific genetic variation using RAWGENO, an R package for automating AFLP scoring. BMC Bioinformatics 10:33

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arrigo N, Guadagnuolo R, Lappe S, Pasche S, Parisod C, Felber F (2011) Gene flow between wheat and wild relatives: empirical evidence from Aegilops geniculata, Ae. neglecta and Ae. triuncialis. Evol Appl 4:685–695

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell AD (1991) Plant form. An illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Bush EJ, Barrett SCH (1993) Genetics of mine invasions by Deschampsia cespitosa (Poaceae). Can J Bot 71:1336–1348

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardone S, Sawatani P, Rush P, García AM, Poggio L, Schrauf G (2009) Karyological studies in Deschampsia antarctica Desv. (Poaceae). Polar Biol 32:427–433

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiapella J (2000) The Deschampsia cespitosa complex in central and northern Europe: a morphological analysis. Bot J Linn Soc 134:495–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chiapella JO, DeBoer VL, Anico GC, Kuhl JC (2011) A morphological and molecular study in the Deschampsia cespitosa complex (Poaceae; Poeae; Airinae) in Northern America. Am J Bot 98:1366–1380

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Conert HJ (1998) Hegi`s Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa. Angiospermae: Monocotyledones 1 (2) Poaceae (Echte Gräser oder Süßgräser). Parey, Berlin

  • Crawford RMM (2008) Plants at the margin. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Davy AJ (1980) Biological flora of the British Isles: Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) Beauv. J Ecol 68:1075–1096

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Delarze R, Druart P, Kozlowski G, Moret J-L, Prunier P, Gmür Ph (2004) Arenaria gothica et autres plantes rares des rives lacustres de la Vallée de Joux (Vaud, Suisse). Quelques observations recentes et premières données autécologiques. Bull Soc Vaud Sc Nat 89:1–11

    Google Scholar 

  • Dienst M, Strang I, Peintinger M (2004) Entdeckung und Verlust botanischer Raritäten am Bodenseeufer - das Leiner-Herbar und die Strandrasen. Ber Bot Arbeitsgem Südwestdeutschland Beih 1:209–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehrich D (2006) AFLPdat: a collection of R functions for convenient handling of AFLP data. Mol Ecol Notes 6:603–604

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elmqvist T, Cox PA (1996) The evolution of vivipary in flowering plants. Oikos 77:3–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evanno G, Regnaut S, Goudet J (2005) Detecting the number of clusters of individuals using the software STRUCTURE: a simulation study. Mol Ecol 14:2611–2620

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Excoffier L, Smouse PE, Quattro JM (1992) Analysis of molecular variance inferred from metric distance among DNA haplotypes: application to human mitochondrial DNA restriction data. Genetics 131:479–491

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer M, Weyand A, Rudmann-Maurer K, Stöcklin J (2011) Adaptation of Poa alpina to altitude and land use in the Swiss Alps. Alp Bot 121:91–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaudin J (1828) Flora Helvetica, vol 1. Orell Füssli, Zürich

    Google Scholar 

  • Gehring JL, Linhart YB (1992) Population structure and genetic differentiation in native and introduced populations of Deschampsia cespitosa (Poaceae) in the Colorado Alpine. Am J Bot 79:1337–1343

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gremli A (1874) Excursionsflora der Schweiz. Christen, Aarau

    Google Scholar 

  • Gugerli F, Englisch T, Niklfeld H, Tribsch A, Mirek Z, Ronikier M, Zimmermann NE, Holderegger R, Taberlet P, INTRABIODIV Consortium (2008) Relationships among levels of biodiversity and the relevance of intraspecific diversity in conservation: a project synopsis. Persp Plant Ecol Evol Syst 10:259–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hedberg O (1958) Cyto-taxonomic studies in Scottish mountain plants, notably Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) PB., s.lat. Svensk Bot Tidskrift 52:37–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedberg O (1986) On the manifestation of vivipary in Deschampsia caespitosa s. lat. Symb Bot Upsaliensis 27:183–192

    Google Scholar 

  • Heide OM (1989) Environmental control of flowering and viviparous proliferation in seminiferous and viviparous arctic populations of two Poa species. Arct Alp Res 21:305–315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess HE, Landolt E, Hirzel R (1967) Flora der Schweiz und angrenzender Gebiete. Volume 1: Pteridophyta bis Caryophyllaceae. Birkhäuser, Basel

  • Holderegger R, Stehlik I, Lewis Smith RI, Abbott RJ (2003) Populations of Antarctic Hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica) show low genetic diversity. Arct Antarct Alp Res 35:214–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson AW, Packer JG (1968) Chromosome numbers in the Flora of Ogotoruk Creek, N.W. Alaska. Bot Notiser 121:403–456

    Google Scholar 

  • Käsermann C, Moser DM (1999) Merkblätter Artenschutz—Blütenpflanzen und Farne. BUWAL, Bern

    Google Scholar 

  • Kawano S (1962) Cytogeography and evolution of the Deschampsia cespitosa complex. Can J Bot 41:719–742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Körner C (1999) Alpine plant life. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lang G (1967) Die Ufervegetation des westlichen Bodensees. Archiv Hydrobiol Suppl 1:437–574

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee JA, Harmer R (1980) Vivipary, a reproductive strategy in response to environmental stress? Oikos 35:254–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Münzing A (1980) Mode of propagation and chromosomal peculiarities in Scotch material of Poa alpina. Hereditas 92:291–296

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nkongolo KK, Deck A, Michael P (2001) Molecular and cytological analyses of Deschampsia cespitosa populations from Northern Ontario (Canada). Genome 44:818–825

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nygren A (1949) Studies on vivipary in the genus Deschampsia. Hereditas 35:27–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peakall R, Smouse PE (2006) GENALEX 6: genetic analysis in EXCEL. Population genetic software for teaching and research. Mol Ecol Notes 6:288–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peintinger M, Prati D, Winkler E (2007) Water-level fluctuations and dynamics of amphibious plants at Lake Constance: long-term study and simulation. Persp Plant Ecol Evol Syst 8:179–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pierce S, Stirling CM, Baxter R (2003) Pseudoviviparous reproduction of Poa alpina var. vivipara L. (Poaceae) during long-term exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2. Ann Bot 91:613–622

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Purdy BG, Bayer RJ (1995) Genetic diversity in the tetraploid sand dune endemic Deschampsia mackenzieana and its widespread progenitor D. cespitosa (Poaceae). Am J Bot 82:121–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothera SL, Davy AJ (1986) Polyploidy and habitat differentiation in Deschampsia cespitosa. New Phytol 102:449–467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rudmann-Maurer K, Weyand A, Fischer M, Stöcklin J (2007) Microsatellite diversity of the agriculturally important alpine grass Poa alpina in relation to land use and natural environment. Ann Bot 100:1249–1258

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Soltis PS, Soltis DE (2009) The role of hybridization in plant speciation. Annu Rev Plant Biol 60:561–588

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van de Wouw M, van Dijk P, Huiskes AHL (2008) Regional genetic diversity patterns in Antarctic hairgrass (Deschampsia antarctica Desv.). J Biogeogr 35:365–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Ziltener R (1998) Morphologie, Populationsstruktur und Populationsgenetik von Deschampsia littoralis am Bodensee. Diploma thesis. University of Zürich, Zürich

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was partly funded by the nature conservation authority of the Canton of Thurgau (Fachstelle Naturschutz). N. Arrigo was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant No. PBNEP3-132747). We thank Michael Dienst, Rolf Niederer, Rolf Rutishauser, Gregor Schmitz, Irene Strang and Regina Ziltener for their support. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and Jürg Stöcklin for constructive comments on a previous draft of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arbeitsgruppe Bodenseeufer (AGBU), Güttinger Strasse 8/1, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany

    Markus Peintinger

  2. Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Winterthurerstr 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland

    Markus Peintinger

  3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, P.O. Box 210088, Tuscon, AZ, 85721, USA

    Nils Arrigo

  4. WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Sabine Brodbeck, Andreas Koller, Martina Imsand & Rolf Holderegger

Authors
  1. Markus Peintinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nils Arrigo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sabine Brodbeck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Andreas Koller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Martina Imsand
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rolf Holderegger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Markus Peintinger.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (PDF 405 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Peintinger, M., Arrigo, N., Brodbeck, S. et al. Genetic differentiation of the endemic grass species Deschampsia littoralis at pre-Alpine lakes. Alp Botany 122, 87–93 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-012-0107-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-012-0107-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation