Floral Trait and Mycorrhizal Similarity between an Endangered Orchid and Its Natural Hybrid
Hybridization can often lead to the formation of novel taxa which can have traits that resemble either or both parental species. Determining the similarity of hybrid traits to parental taxa is particularly important in plant conservation, as hybrids that form between rare and common taxa may more cl...
Guardado en:
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | article |
| Lenguaje: | EN |
| Publicado: |
MDPI AG
2021
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://doaj.org/article/92e26b40545f482cb103f0c14b09e1a9 |
| Etiquetas: |
Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
|
| Sumario: | Hybridization can often lead to the formation of novel taxa which can have traits that resemble either or both parental species. Determining the similarity of hybrid traits to parental taxa is particularly important in plant conservation, as hybrids that form between rare and common taxa may more closely resemble a rare parental species, thereby putting the rare parental taxon at further risk of extinction via increased backcrossing and introgression. We investigated the floral (morphological and chemical) traits and orchid mycorrhizal (OrM) fungal associations of the endangered orchid <i>Orchis patens</i>, its more common sister species <i>O. provincialis</i>, and their natural hybrid <i>O. × fallax</i> in natural sympatric populations. We found that both morphological and chemical floral traits of <i>O. × fallax</i> are shared by the parents but are more similar to <i>O. patens</i> than <i>O. provincialis</i>. OrM fungi were shared among all three taxa, indicating that the availability of OrM fungi should not represent a barrier to establishment of individuals of any of these taxa. These results suggest that <i>O. × fallax</i> may be able to expand its distribution within a similar niche to <i>O. patens</i>. This highlights the importance of quantifying differences between hybrids and parental taxon in species conservation planning. |
|---|