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A deep dive into the aquatic plant genus Vallisneria (Hydrocharitaceae)
Martin, Alex Paul
Martin, Alex Paul
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Abstract
Vallisneria is a cosmopolitan genus of aquatic plants comprising 14 species within the family Hydrocharitaceae. Previous research suggests Vallisneria is a more speciose genus than current taxonomy indicates, and there remains contention on the level of species diversity within the genus. In order to address some of these taxonomic issues, this study estimates phylogenetic relationships within the genus using a previously published molecular dataset augmented with previously unsampled species. Maximum likelihood analyses were employed for all molecular data partitions (e.g., nrITS, cpDNA, and combined nuclear and cpDNA datasets) resulting in an updated hypothesis for the phylogenetic relationships within the genus. An ancestral state reconstruction was estimated for the two growth habits shown within Vallisneria (caulescent and rosulate). Additionally, information on the historical biogeography was pulled from previous research to estimate the geographic origin for Vallisneria and to estimate dispersal events within the evolutionary history of the genus. Based on our findings, we recommend the resurrection of two Vallisneria species (V. gracilis and V. neotropicalis), and formally recognize and describe a new species (V. jacobsii sp. provis.). Morphological data was shown to be useful for species delimitation, but many features were inconsistent or provided too much phenotypic plasticity for use in phylogenetic reconstruction, despite the utilization of a common garden experiment. We also show the presence of naturally occurring Vallisneria hybrids within Northern Territory, Australia, and give conclusive evidence that non-native hybrids are being used for a restoration project in Crystal River, Florida. Pertinent literature is reviewed over the following topics: angiosperm evolution and the occurrence of aquatic plants, systematics of Hydrocharitaceae and Vallisneria, taxonomy, and ecology.
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Date
2022-12-31
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University of Kansas
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Keywords
Botany, Aquatic sciences, Systematic biology, Hydrocharitaceae, Phylogenetics, Systematics, Taxonomy, Vallisneria