Abstract
This study of populations of Cypripedium calceolus L., Cypripedium macranthon Sw. and their hybrid Cypripedium ventricosum Sw. in several regions of Siberia was carried out in 2009–2014. Isolated and mixed populations of the two species and their hybrid were surveyed. In sympatric populations, C. macranthon is most common in the central part and those of C. calceolus prevail in the western part of the range. Mature vegetative and/or reproductive shoots were present but vegetative reproduction was clearly most important in most of the populations investigated. Five colour variations were recorded for C. ventricosum. All species benefit from the increase in the intensity of light reaching ground level in forests after ground fires in spring destroy young trees and undergrowth. Vegetative reproduction and the size of the plants increases in burnt areas. Important factors determining the size and the ontogenetic structure of Cypripedium populations are: the duration of the growing season, the ecological conditions, the activities of pollinators and the relationships among the three species in sympatric populations.
Highlights
The life history of rare species of plants in plant communities must be studied in detail in order to understand how their populations are regulated
Periodic surface fires regularly occur in Siberia in spring and destroy young trees and undergrowth, which increases the level of illumination in these forests
The plants of C. macranthon dominated in most sympatric populations of Cypripedium, which is apparently typical of populations of these species in the central part of the area studied but not the more western parts, where C. calceolus plants dominated
Summary
The life history of rare species of plants in plant communities must be studied in detail in order to understand how their populations are regulated. Cypripedium calceolus L., Cypripedium macranthon Sw. and their interspecific hybrid Cypripedium ventricosum Sw. are included in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (2008) and in many regional Red Data books. These species are listed in Appendix II of CITES. The ratio of ontogenetic groups differs from the basic spectrum only in populations of Cypripedium calceolus growing on slopes in river valleys, with a sparse moss and grass cover (Puchnina 1999), in pine forests with Sphagnum cover (Ishmuratova et al 2003) and in wetland habitats and on limestone outcrops (Teteryuk 2003). The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the number of sympatric and isolated populations of C. calceolus L., C. macranthon Sw. and C. ventricosum Sw.; 2) to identify common and specific features of the ontogenetic structure and reproduction in Cypripedium populations; 3) to study the spatial structure of Cypripedium populations; 4) to make detailed measurements of the morphometric traits in order to identify intraspecific and interspecific variation
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