Abstract
BackgroundWe studied the life history of Gagea graeca (L.) A. Terracc. (sect. Anthericoides) by field surveys on the Greek island of Crete, including quantitative analyses of 405 individuals, estimation of resource allocation by measuring the nitrogen content of different plant organs, assessing seed set and recording genetic diversity via amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses. In contrast to most species of the genus G. graeca seems to be a short-lived perennial, developing several characters that are rather typical for annual plants.ResultsAlthough seed set varies largely, flowering plants produce many (68 ± 79) small, flattened seeds (mean weight 73 ± 22 µg) in comparison to a single bulbil. If measured as nitrogen content of the respective plant parts, investment in seeds (25%) is much higher than that in bulbils (4%). In addition, the threshold for flower formation (expressed as bulb size where 50% of the plants form the respective structure) is with 2.17 ± 0.05 mm lower than that for bulbils with 2.80 ± 0.16 mm. This is in accordance with AFLP analyses revealing predominantly sexual reproduction (only 9.1% of 110 investigated plants belonged to clones).ConclusionIn the genus Gagea early, predominantly sexual reproduction seems to be characteristic for species from arid habitats, coupled with a low proportion of clonal plants.
Highlights
We studied the life history of Gagea graeca (L.) A
Morphology Gagea graeca was always seen in populations of several hundred plants or more, the slender growth makes the plants quite inconspicuous
G. graeca is certainly a short-lived perennial indicated by the significant resource allocation to replacement bulbs the habit of the plant with its comparatively large flowers resembles that of an annual
Summary
We studied the life history of Gagea graeca (L.) A. This monophyletic section (e.g., Peruzzi et al 2008; Peterson et al 2008, 2011, 2016; Zarrei et al 2009) within the genus Gagea Lloydia Rchb.; see Peterson et al 2004, 2008; Peruzzi et al 2008; Zarrei et al 2011) is currently accepted in all infra-generic classifications (Levichev in Peterson et al 2008; Zarrei et al 2011; Peruzzi 2012a). Both species are endemic to the Mediterranean region and are diploid (2n = 24; Peruzzi 2003, 2008, 2012a). In several phylogenetic studies (e.g., Peruzzi et al 2008; Peterson et al 2011) the section Anthericoides was found to be in a sister position to other studied sections of the genus
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