Cryptic species in the fern Ceratopteris thalictroides (L.) Brongn. (Parkeriaceae). I. Molecular analyses and crossing tests

For the taxonomic revision of the problematic species Ceratopteris thalictroides, molecular analyses and crossing tests were conducted for 16 sources in the world. An analysis of allozyme composition of five enzymes revealed the presence of three intraspecific entities, which were called the south t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of plant research Vol. 115; no. 2; pp. 87 - 97
Main Authors Masuyama, S., Yatabe, Y., Murakami, N., Watano, Y.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Tokyo Springer Nature B.V 01.04.2002
Subjects
Chloroplasts
Cryptic species
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Enzymes
Ferns
Genetic diversity
Molecular biology
Plant biology
Taxonomy
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Summary:For the taxonomic revision of the problematic species Ceratopteris thalictroides, molecular analyses and crossing tests were conducted for 16 sources in the world. An analysis of allozyme composition of five enzymes revealed the presence of three intraspecific entities, which were called the south type, the north type, and the third type. An analysis of the nucleotide sequences of chloroplast DNA also distinguished the same entities. Crossing tests showed that the south type was completely cross-sterile with the other two types, and that the other two were considerably cross-sterile with each other. These results suggest that the three entities should be regarded as different biological species. Although the south type and the other two meet in several regions, complete cross-sterility between them seems to sustain their genetic distinctiveness in spite of occasional crossing. The results from the present study suggest that widely distributed fern species are apt to comprise several cryptic species.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0918-9440
1618-0860
DOI:10.1007/s102650200013