Abstract

Robustly delimited species are of paramount importance, the identification of which relies on our ability to discern boundaries between one species and the next. This is not difficult to do when species are very distinct from one another. However, in recently evolved lineages where putative species may have relatively few diagnostic features (e.g., species complexes composed of very similar species, the boundaries between which are often unclear), defining species boundaries can be more challenging. Hence, the field of species delimitation has widely advocated the use of multiple lines of evidence to delimit species, particularly in species complexes. Excessive taxonomic confusion, often the result of species descriptions that shift through time (e.g., during revisionary work and regional treatments), can further complicate the search for diagnostic features in species complexes. Here, as a first step in robustly delimiting species boundaries, we quantify and describe morphological variation in the Castilleja pilosa species complex. We first infer the morphospace of the species complex and use fuzzy-clustering techniques to explore the morphological variation in the system. Next, we hypothesize the position of type specimens within that morphospace. In so doing, we aim to visualize the impact that regional treatments have had on the conceptualization of taxa through time. We find that there is limited morphological variation among members of this complex, and we determine that the morphological concept of these species have shifted through time and are no longer accurately represented by species descriptions.

Highlights

  • Because they provide the basis for the recognition of one of the primary units of biodiversity, the species, classifications are the cornerstone of the biodiversity sciences

  • Species ranges were estimated based on loan material and specimen label data accessed through regional databases (Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria; Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet; swbiodiversity.org); University and Jepson Herbaria Specimen Portal; New York Botanical Garden (NYBG; nybg.org); Rocky Mountain Herbarium (RM; rmh.uwyo.edu))

  • Individuals measured, the herbarium housing each collection, and associated voucher information is available in the Supplemental Information, as well as raw data and associated analytical scripts (Table S1; Dataset S1, Dataset S2, respectively)

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Summary

Introduction

Because they provide the basis for the recognition of one of the primary units of biodiversity, the species, classifications are the cornerstone of the biodiversity sciences. In addition to describing newly discovered species, species delimitation methods are often applied to existing classifications where species boundaries are poorly defined and/or sample assignment to species is difficult (e.g., Barley et al, 2013; Giarla, Voss & Jansa, 2014). In these cases, species delimitation is used in a validation context (where taxonomic boundaries are validated—i.e., individuals are assigned to a group a priori (Ence & Carstens, 2010)) and attempts to clarify species boundaries and which lines of evidence (morphological, ecological, molecular) do and do not describe species

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