Endemic Grass Species Research Articles

Endemic Grasses of India

The paper provides a detailed list of endemic grass species of India and their distributional status. This includes a total of 327 taxa belonging to 82 genera. The data has been compiled from available literature both offline and online, of these 190 taxa are steno endemics and 137 are holo endemics. Inventory of species has been supplemented with distribution data and ICUN status.

Two endemic grasses (Poaceae): Additions to the flora of Telangana, India

Two endemic grass species viz., Dimeria bialata C.E.C. Fisch. and Heteropogon polystachyos (Roxb.) Schult. are strictly endemic to India have been reported from Eastern Ghats of Telangana as new additions to the grass flora of Telangana State, India. A brief description and colour photo plates are provided for easy identification.

Museomics Unveil the Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Neglected Juan Fernandez Archipelago Megalachne and Podophorus Endemic Grasses and Their Connection With Relict Pampean-Ventanian Fescues.

Oceanic islands constitute natural laboratories to study plant speciation and biogeographic patterns of island endemics. Juan Fernandez is a southern Pacific archipelago consisting of three small oceanic islands located 600–700 km west of the Chilean coastline. Exposed to current cold seasonal oceanic climate, these 5.8–1 Ma old islands harbor a remarkable endemic flora. All known Fernandezian endemic grass species belong to two genera, Megalachne and Podophorus, of uncertain taxonomic adscription. Classical and modern classifications have placed them either in Bromeae (Bromus), Duthieinae, Aveneae/Poeae, or Loliinae (fine-leaved Festuca); however, none of them have clarified their evolutionary relationships with respect to their closest Festuca relatives. Megalachne includes four species, which are endemic to Masatierra (Robinson Crusoe island) (M. berteroniana and M. robinsoniana) and to Masafuera (Alejandro Selkirk island) (M. masafuerana and M. dantonii). The monotypic Podophorus bromoides is a rare endemic species to Masatierra which is only known from its type locality and is currently considered extinct. We have used museomic approaches to uncover the challenging evolutionary history of these endemic grasses and to infer the divergence and dispersal patterns from their ancestors. Genome skimming data were produced from herbarium samples of M. berteroniana and M. masafuerana, and the 164 years old type specimen of P. bromoides, as well as for a collection of 33 species representing the main broad- and fine-leaved Loliinae lineages. Paired-end reads were successfully mapped to plastomes and nuclear ribosomal cistrons of reference Festuca species and used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees. Filtered ITS and trnTLF sequences from these genomes were further combined with our large Loliinae data sets for accurate biogeographic reconstruction. Nuclear and plastome data recovered a strongly supported fine-leaved Fernandezian clade where Podophorus was resolved as sister to Megalachne. Bayesian divergence dating and dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis range evolution analyses estimated the split of the Fernandezian clade from its ancestral southern American Pampas-Ventanian Loliinae lineage in the Miocene-Pliocene transition, following a long distance dispersal from the continent to the uplifted volcanic palaeo-island of Santa Clara-Masatierra. Consecutive Pliocene-Pleistocene splits and a Masatierra-to-Masafuera dispersal paved the way for in situ speciation of Podophorus and Megalachne taxa.

Assessment of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi of Glyphochloa santapaui: Vulnerable and endemic grass species of Maharashtra, India.

Glyphochloa santapaui (S.K. Jain & Deshp.) Clayton santapaui is endemic to Maharashtra state restricted to Ferricrete-Lateritic rocky plateaus at Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri district. Due to ongoing anthropogenic threats this species is rated as Vulnerable under IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and hence attention is needed toward its conservation.The lateritic plant-soil interactions in different taxa is dependent to their microbial or mycorrhizal associates. So far endemic grass species - Arbuscular mycorrhizal associations on Lateritic rocky plateaus are poorly investigated. In present paper critical assessment of AM fungal colonization in roots of vulnerable- endemic grass Glyphochloa santapaui is interpreted. Overall colonization percentage was 71.80%. Moreover, root segments of some samples were commonly co-colonized by dark septate hyphae (dsh) of other fungal endophytes (Ofe) and AM fungi. In present assessment, four Glomeromycota families viz., Acaulosporaceae, Diversisporaceae, Gigasporaceae and Glomeraceae were recorded comprising 18 species under 6 genera. These AM fungal species are viz., Acaulospora elegans, A. rehmii, A. scrobiculata, A. tuberculata, A. appendicula; Diversispora epigaea; Gigaspora albida, G. gigantea, G. margarita, G. rosea; Scutellospora calospora S. dipurpusescrns; Glomus gerdemanni, G. hoi, G. occultum, G. versiforme, G. warcuppi and Sclerocystis sinuosa. On the basis of analysis of spore density and relative abundance, two dominanting species of AM fungi viz., Diversispora epigaea and Gigaspora gigantea were recognized.

Adaptation to tidal flooding and rapid genetic divergence between a narrow endemic grass species and its widespread congener lead to an early stage of ecological speciation

Divergent selection on ecological traits is thought to be the main driver of ecological speciation, leading directly or indirectly to the evolution of reproductive barriers between populations in different environments without geographic isolation. Low competition in stressful habitats as well as habitat heterogeneity occurring between biotic regimes are factors, which actively promote speciation in higher plants. The relatively young landscape of the Elbe estuary (Northern Germany) provides an excellent opportunity for studying ecological differentiation in species colonizing the newly developing marshes during the postglacial period.Deschampsia wibeliana (Poaceae) is a perennial grass endemic to the Elbe estuary growing in tidal freshwater and oligohaline marshes. Its putative ancestor, D. cespitosa, is a holarctic distributed species, which is common and widespread in Northern Germany and found in moist (non-tidal) habitats. The high morphological similarity between the taxa is accompanied by strict habitat differentiation.Using a combined approach of molecular analyses (AFLP) and a mesocosm experiment with different hydrological regimes (waterlogging, short-term & long-term tidal flooding), we assessed the genetic and ecological differentiation between the taxa. We asked whether the adaptation of D. wibeliana to tidal flooding might be the result of natural divergent selection on ecological traits.Deschampsia wibeliana and D. cespitosa showed a distinct genetic differentiation in the AFLP analysis. Moreover, differences in the genetic structure among populations between both taxa indicated distinct landscape patterns in gene flow. Moreover, the taxa showed contrasting responses in terms of leaf traits and biomass production towards long-term tidal flooding and waterlogging, indicating adaptation to their respective habitats.There is substantial evidence for an early stage of ecological speciation in the endemic taxon D. wibeliana growing sympatrically with the widely distributed D. cespitosa. The endemism of D. wibeliana is very likely due to an adaptation to high abiotic stress in its habitat (tidal flooding). Our study may present one of the few cases of ecologically driven divergence of a locally adapted narrow neoendemic plant species.

Vegetation cover at the Maguntan mud volcano (Sakhalin Island, Russia): species composition and spatial distribution

Mud volcano vegetation is not well-studied even in comparison with that of geothermal areas. Mud volcanoes provide opportunities to study the formation of the spatial and species structure of vegetation cover in distinct conditions, showing the trends in vegetation succession. The mud fields of the Maguntan mud volcano (Sakhalin, Russia) are cool, not warm, and their mud fluids have high salinity and alkalinity. In the 20th century some local endemic taxa were found at this place: Artemisia limosa, Gentianella sugawarae, Primula sachalinensis and Deschampsia tzvelevii. I identified nine plant communities and analyzed floristic richness, vegetation cover and endemism rate using data from 185 1 m × 1 m quadrats. The salinity decreases with distance from the volcano's main eruptive center. The total plant cover, number of plant species, and floristic richness increase with the distance from the volcano's center. Endemic taxa including the local endemic grass species Deschampsia tzvelevii are located in young mud substrates. Detrended correspondence analysis showed that the plant communities are arranged along a stress gradient. The spatial distribution of plant communities may be interpreted via succession dynamics.

Genetic differentiation of the endemic grass species Deschampsia littoralis at pre-Alpine lakes

Deschampsia littoralis is an endemic tetraploid Poaceae occurring on the shores of pre-Alpine lakes. It is closely related to the diploid and widespread D. cespitosa. Several D. littoralis populations from Lake Constance are vegetatively propagating through pseudoviviparous spikelets. These latter populations were formerly described as a separate species, D. rhenana. Still, the species status of D. rhenana has been questioned since, apart from pseudovivipary, no morphological differentiation from D. littoralis is observed. Both species are highly endangered and accurate assessment of taxon status is needed for conservation management. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism fingerprinting to assess whether D. rhenana from Lake Constance (43 specimens) was genetically differentiated from D. littoralis (11 specimens collected at Lac de Joux, incl. Lac Brenet) and the widespread D. cespitosa (48 specimens). An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 12 % of the genetic diversity occurred among the three species, 7 % occurred among populations within species and 81 % within populations. Principal coordinate analysis and fuzzy c-means clustering showed that D. rhenana was genetically distinct from D. littoralis. In addition, both species differed in levels of genetic diversity and clustering, with D. rhenana being the most divergent and structured species. D. littoralis appeared as genetically intermediate between D. rhenana and D. cespitosa. These results suggested that (1) all species are closely related, (2) genetic variation within populations is high even in the asexually propagating D. rhenana and (3) D. rhenana is more distinct from D. cespitosa than is D. littoralis. We therefore suggest to treat D. rhenana from Lake Constance and D. littoralis from Lac de Joux as independent evolutionary units in conservation management.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Diversispora spurcum Improved the Growth and Freeze Tolerance of Mongolian Crested Wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum)

Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn. (crested wheatgrass) is an endemic grass species, which dominates the Mongolian steppe. In this study, spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in the rhizosphere soil of crested wheatgrass were isolated with wet-sieving/decanting methods and sucrose density gradient centrifugation, and the associated species was identified as Diversispora spurcum C. Walker & Schuessler. An arbuscular-mycorrhizal resynthesis experiment showed that D. spurcum formed arbuscular mycorrhizae with crested wheatgrass seedlings, and promoted their growth and biomass. The dependency of the crested wheatgrass on arbuscular mycorrhizae (AMs) with D. spurcum was 292%. Diversispora spurcum inoculation also significantly increased the nitrogen and mineral (P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na) contents in roots, stems, and leaves of crested wheatgrass. Inoculated and non-inoculated crested wheatgrass seedlings were cold-acclimated and subsequently subjected to freeze tolerance tests at -8, -11, -14, -15, -16, and -17℃, respectively. The leaf lethal temperatures for 50% mortality (LT50) of non-inoculated and inoculated crested wheatgrass were -8 and -14℃, respectively, while the whole plant LT50 values of non-inoculated and inoculated crested wheatgrass were -11 and -15.5℃, respectively. These results demonstrated that D. spurcum could effectively form arbuscular mycorrhizae with crested wheatgrass and improve its growth, presumably through enhanced nutrition acquisition, and freeze tolerance.

Efficient fog harvesting by Stipagrostis sabulicola (Namib dune bushman grass)

Stipagrostis sabulicola, an endemic grass species of the central Namib Desert, grows on dune fields under conditions of very low annual precipitation punctuated by regular nocturnal fog events. The objective of this study is to determine to what extent S. sabulicola relies on water supply by fog harvesting. The following parameters were monitored: 1) climate, 2) stem runoff, 3) leaf water potential (LWP) and 4) soil water content (SWC). Collected fog water was 5.0 L (liter) per m −2 leaf surface and therefore a total harvest of 4–5 L per fog event for a medium-sized mound of S. sabulicola. SWC close to a mound increased substantially during a fog event, with SWC at about 2.2% within a mound. LWP of S. sabulicola ranged between −1.7 MPa and −3.5 MPa. On days without fog, LWP was highest during the morning and decreased during the afternoon. No significant decrease of LWP occurred during days following a fog event. The increase of SWC at the plant base during a fog event indicates that fog harvest of S. sabulicola occurs mainly via stem flow with subsequent absorption by the root system and that fog catchment therefore represents a substantial water source for this species.

New Records and a Taxonomic Review of Calamagrostis perplexa (Poaceae: Poeae: Agrostidinae), a New York State Endemic Grass

Calamagrostis perplexa is a New York State endemic grass species, hypothesized to be of hybrid origin, that previously was known only from a single locality. We provide a summary of its taxonomic history, report new New York records and ecological information for the taxon, and include a principal components analysis and key characterizing morphological variation in C. perplexa and its putative close relatives C. canadensis, C. porteri, C. rubescens, and C. scribneri. Calamagrostis perplexa is now known from two extant populations and a third population of unknown status; it remains a New York state endemic.

Topographic and soil surface effects on gypsophile plant community patterns in central Mexico

Abstract. Semiarid gypsum karstlands in north central Mexico are characterized by a mosaic of shrubland and endemic gypsophile grassland community types. Proximal physical factors affecting community patterns on a local scale were investigated at an undisturbed site south of Matehuala, San Luis Potosi. Soil surface characteristics associated with depth of calcareous alluvium overlying gypsum base material were strongly correlated with distribution of desert shrub and endemic grass species. Muhlenbergia purpusii was dominant on bare gypsum soils with indurated crusts, while Bouteloua chasei was dominant where a thin veneer of alluvium permitted development of a cryptogamic crust. A high‐diversity mixed shrub‐succulent community occupied gypsum overlain by 5 ‐ 20 cm of alluvium, whereas Larrea tridentata was the principal species on gypsum overlain by > 20 cm of alluvium. Open sink walls were occupied mostly by species of the Muhlenbergia grassland, while closed sinks supported more mesophytic mixed shrubland vegetation.Physical factors operating mostly at the establishment stage are probably more important in mediating local species patterns on gypsum than factors associated with mineral nutrition. Gypsum material was much less fertile than alluvial material but did not exclude widely distributed species unless exposed at the surface.