Gypsophila Fastigiata Research Articles

CROP WILD RELATIVES IN VOLOGDA PROVINCE, RECOMMENDED FOR IN SITU CONSERVATION

Background. Preservation of crop wild relatives (CWR) as natural suppliers of genetic source material (GSM) is the foundation of food security. In situ conservation is considered the highest priority method. By preserving species in their natural communities, we safeguard all the genetic diversity that can be used as sources of valuable economic traits. The criteria developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) are unable to assess the significance of crop wild relatives at the regional level. With this in view, we have used the vulnerability status categories developed at VIR. Materials and methods. Crop wild relatives of Vologda Province were the target of the study. Research material was selected in VIR’s herbarium collection (WIR, LE), along with literary data and the results of the plant exploration surveys by VIR’s scientists. The species listed in the Red Books of Leningrad, Pskov and Novgorod Provinces, the Red Book of Karelia, and the list of rare and endangered plants (2015) of Vologda Province were analyzed. For the first time, plants were tested specifically to determine the species’ vulnerability degree. On the basis of such testing, CWR requiring special conservation measures were identified. Results and conclusions. Sixty-six CWR species that require in situ conservation occur in Vologda Province. The collected materials helped to develop databases of locations for the taxa studied. In total, we identified nine species with the vulnerability status of Category I (Corylus avellana L., Onobrychis arenaria (Kit.) Ser., Phleum phleoides (L.) Karst., Thymus talijevii Klok. Et Shost., Bistorta vivipara (L.) S.F. Gray, Gypsophila fastigiata L., Koeleria glauca (Spreng.) DC., Leymus arenarius (L.) Hochst., and Scorzonera glabra Rupr.). Maps of the species with the first vulnerability status category were made. Category II was assigned to 19 species; Category III, to 38 species. The species requiring special conservation efforts were identified: relicts (11 spp.) and endemics (1 sp.). Twenty-eight species are in the list of rare and endangered plants (2015) of Vologda Province. Nizhnesukhonsky floristic area stands out for its rich CWR diversity. In addition to in situ conservation within protected areas of various ranks, the species included into Categories I and II should be conserved ex situ in botanical gardens and genetic collections held by research institutes in the northwest of Russia.

The vegetation of “Bila Skelya” tract (Yavoriv National Nature Park, Lviv Region)

It was found that the formation of species of “Bila Skelya” tract in the beech forest with rocky sandy outcrops counts 127 species of higher plants, including 121 species of vascular plants and 6 epigene mosses. Syntaxonomic composition (three meadow and forest plant groups), peculiarities of their ecological-coenotic structure and sozological value of the vegetation of the tract were explored. Floristic core of plant groups of comunity Pinus sylvestris – Anthericum ramosum – Teucrium chamaedrys ; comunity Pinus sylvestris – Teucrium chamaedrys – Abietinella abietina ; comunity Pinus sylvestris – Anthericum ramosum – Abietinella abietina , form xerothermophilic herbaceous species distinctive for the class Trifolio-Geranietea , order Origanetalia and alliances Geranion sanguinei and Trifolion medii . Bordered on xerothermal bows, association of Dentario glandulosae-Fagetum Klika 1927 em. W. Mat. form 1964 forest vegetation of alliance Fagion sylvaticae , order Fagetalia sylvaticae, class Querco-Fagetea . It was established that plant groups are at the stage of sylvatization and partially recreational succession followed by regressive changes in structure and species compo­sition (depletion of species diversity). The pines overgrowth on the slope is accompanied by changes in the illumination, hydrological and salt regime of the soil (acidification), which will lead to gradual displacement of xerothermophilic and psamophilic herbaceous species and a complete replacement of meadow class groups Trifolio-Ge ranietea on forest coenoses of Querco-Fagetea class . This process can be stopped only by regula­ting (limiting) the undergrowth of trees (by carrying out periodic log cabins). Among the investigated species, four rare species of vascular plants from the Red Book of Ukraine were identified, in particular Botrychium lunaria (L.) Sw. (xerothermal bows), Listera ovata (L.) R. Br. (grouping of hygrophilous shrubs), Neottia nidus-avis (L.) R. Br. and Platanthera chlorantha (L.) Rich. (beech forest). Regionally rare species from the search area that require protection in Lviv region [14] contain: Alyssum gmelinii Jord., Anemone sylvestris L. and Festuca psammophila (Hacq. Ex Celak.) Fritsch, Pulmonaria mollis Wulf. ex Hornem. The species that are located on the border of their habitat or are rare for Roztochya are also of great sozological importance: Allium montanum F. W. Schmidt, Anthericum ramosum L., Gypsophila fastigiata L., Juniperus communis L. Thus, in order to preserve valuable geocomplexes of “Bila Skelya” tract of 38 ha (47th quarter of the Maidan Forestry of the Starytskyj military forestry), it is recommend to transfer it to Yavoriv NNP for a permanent use. Keywords: ecological-cenotic structure, Trifolio-Geranietea, Querco-Fagetea, species saturation, rare species

Differential Tolerance to Lead and Cadmium of Micropropagated Gypsophila fastigiata Ecotype

In vitro techniques may provide a suitable tool for effective propagation and conservation of plant species representing various ecological niches. The elaboration of such protocols is also prerequisite for selection of heavy-metal-tolerant plant material that could be afterwards used for restoration or remediation of polluted sites. In this study, culture protocol for Gypsophila fastigiata propagation was developed. The highest multiplication coefficient, which reached 6.5, and the best growth parameters were obtained on modified MS medium supplemented with 1.0 mg L−1 2iP and 0.2 mg L−1 IAA. The obtained cultures were treated with different concentrations of lead nitrate (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mM Pb(NO3)2) or cadmium chloride (0.5, 2.5, and 5.0 μM CdCl2). The growth parameters, photosynthetic pigments, and phenolic compound content were examined in order to evaluate whether tested metal salts can have an adverse impact on studied culture. It was ascertained that Pb ions induced growth disturbances and contributed to shoot wither. On the contrary, the proliferative shoot cultures were established on media containing Cd ions and the multiplication coefficients and shoot length increased on all media enriched with CdCl2. Chlorophylls and carotenoid contents were negatively affected by application of 5.0 μM of cadmium; nevertheless, in shoots treated with 2.5 μM CdCl2, increased accumulation of photosynthetic pigments occurred and their amount was similar to untreated culture. Adaptation to Cd was associated with stimulation of phenolic compound synthesis. Hence, we have reported on unambiguous positive result of in vitro selection procedure to obtain vigorous shoot culture tolerant to cadmium.

Conservation genetic assessment of four plant species in a small replica of a steppe ecosystem >30 years after establishment

To counter species loss living ex situ collections in botanic gardens became important elements of robust conservation programs. Several limitations, problems, and risks associated with living ex situ collections have been reported such as appropriate cultivation management to maintain genetic diversity and stochastic effects in small isolated populations in artificial habitats. However, not all small and isolated populations exhibit these predicted genetic changes. In a multi-species in situ/ex situ comparison of sand dune steppe- and grassland vegetation >30 years after the ex situ population establishment, we compared four different species’ population genetic diversities (Alyssum montanum ssp. gmelinii, Gypsophila fastigiata, Helianthemum nummularium ssp. obscurum, Onosma arenaria) by means of ISSR. We observed different species-specific genetic responses to quite similar abiotic selective forces concerning different neutral genetic diversities of wild versus botanic garden populations. The genetic divergence was kept relatively low in two of the four investigated species between the model steppe plant community within the botanic garden where human interference was kept at a minimum and the wild population. However, the moderate genetic divergence of the two other species kept under the same conditions highlights the importance of species-specific intrinsic responses and stochastic effects to ecosystem changes and provides data on population genetic dynamics in small and isolated populations. This contributes to further improve recommendations on how to best conserve endangered plant species in ex situ environments (cultivation in near nature-like replicas of the original site with as little human inference as possible over only certain periods of time, >30 years).

Studies on Gypsophila fastigiata parameters verifying its suitability to reclamation of post-flotation Zn-Pb wastes

An excessive amount of heavy metals negatively affects the environment, causing degradation of large areas throughout the world. Therefore, the effective and inexpensive techniques focused on either removal of those substances or their long-term stabilization in situ need to be improved. We currently propose to use a cal- amine ecotype of Gypsophila fastigiata (Caryophyllaceae) for biological reclamation of wastes accumulated after Zn-Pb ores enrichment. Plants were cultivated in (1) untreated waste material (control), (2) wastes enriched with mineral fertilizers, and (3) wastes enriched with sewage sludge. Photosynthetic pigments content and electrolyte leakage outside plasma membrane were tested periodically in representative samples. In untreated waste material growth gradually deteriorated during the season. The content of chlorophyll a in leaves taken from control plants decreased more than threefold from 0.51 mg/g f.m. at the beginning to 0.14 mg/g f.m. at the end of the growing season, whereas in treatment with sewage sludge the reduced seasonal variations in photosynthetic pigments con- tent was ascertained (0.78 mg/g f.m. for chl a and 0.20 mg/g f.m. for chl b, both in the spring and autumn) what positively influenced the plant growth. The results indicate that tested G. fastigiata genotype might be used in an assisted revegetation project.

Gene diversity and demographic turnover in central and peripheral populations of the perennial herbGypsophila fastigiata

Within‐population gene diversity (HS) was estimated (using allozyme markers) for 16 populations of the perennial, outcrossing plant,Gypsophila fastigiata, on the Baltic island of Öland. The populations were characterized by data on extent, density, life‐stages, and habitat diversity. Populations were classed as central or peripheral in relation to the distribution of “alvar” (habitats with shallow, calcareous soils on limestone bedrock) on southern Öland. Three minimal adequate models were used to explain HSand the proportions of juveniles and dead adults. In the first model, HSwas significantly lower in peripheral populations and there were no significant additional effects of other explanatory variables. The lower diversity in peripheral populations can be explained by a combination of genetic drift (in populations that vary in size in response to habitat fragmentation) and lower levels of interpopulation gene flow than in central populations. In the two life‐stage models, peripheral populations had significantly larger proportions of both juveniles and dead adults – indicating a greater demographic turnover than in the central populations. There were also significant effects of HSand species diversity on the proportion of juveniles. The central or peripheral position of populations is the strongest predictor of both within‐population gene diversity and life‐stage dynamics in ÖlandG. fastigiata.

The mycorrhizal status of plants colonizing a calamine spoil mound in southern Poland

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) status of two plant communities on a calamine spoil mound (rich in cadmium, lead and zinc) in southern Poland was surveyed: an undisturbed grassland community and an early succession community that developed after complete removal of the surface layer of the calamine substrate about 10 years earlier. The undisturbed site harbored 40 herbaceous species making up 87% of the absolute cover. AM colonization was recorded in 25 species accounting for 77% of the relative cover. Species with 51–75% AM root colonization such as Festuca ovina and Leontodon hispidus dominated the undisturbed turf, contributing 45% to the relative cover. Carex ssp. were the most abundant nonmycorrhizal plants and accounted for 9% of the relative cover. Spores of Glomus aggregatum, G. constrictum, G. fasciculatum, G. pansihalos, Glomus sp. and Entrophospora sp. averaged 25 per 100 g dry substrate at the undisturbed site. The disturbed site was colonized by 25 species accounting for 17% of the absolute cover. Among the AM plants, most abundant were the species with up to 20% AM root colonization, such as Agrostis stolonifera and Thymus pulegioides, wich accounted for 24% of the relative cover. Nonmycorrhizal species, such as Biscutella laevigata,Cardaminopsis arenosa, Gypsophila fastigiata and Silene vulgaris, dominated the early succession community and contributed 64% to the relative cover. Spores of G. fasciculatum and Entrophospora sp. averaged 20 per 100 g dry substrate at the disturbed site.

Genetic structure, allozyme-habitat associations and reproductive fitness in Gypsophila fastigiata (Caryophyllaceae).

Relationships between allozyme differentiation, habitat variation and individual reproductive success were examined in local populations of a perennial herb, Gypsophila fastigiata, on the Baltic island of Öland (Sweden). Relatively little (c. 2%) of the total allozyme diversity in this largely outcrossing species is explained by differentiation between sites tens of kilometres apart. The low level of geographic differentiation suggests that gene flow between sites is, or has recently been, extensive. Yet the component of allozyme diversity due to differentiation between plots (only tens of meters apart) within sites is 3 times larger than the between-site component of diversity. Allozyme variation, especially at the Pgi-2 locus, is significantly associated with habitat variation within sites. Different allele x habitat combinations for the Pgi-2 locus are associated with differences in individual reproductive fitness. Differential selection in different local habitats may thus contribute to the fine-scale structuring of genetic diversity within sites.

The structure of morphometric and allozyme variation in relict populations of Gypsophila fastigiata (Caryophyllaceae) in Sweden

Patterns of variation and the structuring of diversity in seed phenotype and allozymes were investigated in Sweden Gypsophila fastigiata, a perennial herb with a disjunct ‘Late Glacial relict’ distribution in eastern and northern Europe. The overall patterns of variation in allozymes and seed morphology are congruent and are significantly correlated with geographic distance. However, most of the congruence between the distance matrices based on allozymes and seed morphology is attributable to regional differentiation between the isolated Öland and Dalarna metapopulations. On a local scale, within the two metapopulations, seed shape variation is partially correlated with geography whereas allozyme variation is unrelated to the geographic disposition of the sampling sites. Despite the fact that regional metapopulations can be discriminated on the basis of seed shape and allozyme frequencies, relatively little of the total diversity in seed morphology and allozymes is due to differentiation between regions. Partitioning of diversity into its within- and among-regional, site and individual components, showed that the majority of diversity (52% for seed shape and 91% for allozymes) is stored within sites. Seventy-three percent of the variation in allozymes is due to variation within individuals (i.e. heterozygosity) whereas phenotypic variation in seed shape within individuals is low (0.4% of the total diversity). The events that led to the large scale disjunction of the Late Glacial distribution of G. fastigiata may have shaped the pattern of differentiation observed among the regional isolates of the species. However, the species' history of local population disjunction during post-glacial and historic times has not had a substantial impact on the spatial organization of allozyme and morphometric diversity within regions. Extensive local gene flow may have allowed the regional metapopulations to have functioned as extended effective populations–on a time scale of tens or hundreds of years–and may have hindered the loss of within-site diversity.

The Plant Community as a Niche Bioassay: Environmental Correlates of Local Variation in Gypsophila Fastigiata

SUMMARY composition. (4) The bioassay approach to niche description integrates the interacting abiotic and biotic components of niche and provides a practical means of quantifying the realized niche of individuals in natural plant populations. This approach to niche description should have wide potential applications in studies which attempt to explain the extent to which genetic variation in natural populations can be related to niche variation.

Kennzeichnung zweier Sippen von Gypsophila fastigiata L. mittels Wachstums- und Ernährungsgrößen

At its western border of distribution Gypsophila fastigiata is found on sand sites in the Brandenburg and Lusatia districts as well as on gypsum sites in the most southern parts of the Harz Mountains, Kyffhäuser and Thuringia. Both groups of site differ in their ecological soil properties. Gypsophila growing on sand contains a higher percentage of K, Mn, Fe, Zn and Al and a lower percentage of Ca in the shoots than Gypsophila growing on gypsum. The gypsum taxon has a smaller shoot/root ratio and higher Mg, Zn, B contents and by allusions also higher K and Mn contents in the shoots as compared with the sand taxon.

Preliminary classification and ecology of dry grassland communities on Ölands Stora Alvar (Sweden)

Four plant community types are described for Öland's Stora Alvar, the limestone plateau of South Öland and preliminary classified syntaxonomically:(1) Crepis pumila – Allium alvarense ass. (2) Helianthemum oelandicum – Galium oelandicum ass. (3) Gypsophila fastigiata – Globularia vulgaris ass. and (4) Veronica spicata – Avenula pratensis ass. (with two subassociations, the Sedum reflexum and Galium boreale subass.). The ecology of these types is discussed with emphasis on soil depth, frost perturbation and the combined effects of summer drought and grazing intensity.Various endemic taxa appear to be good character species for the community types described. The typical local ecology of some common species is discussed with the suggestion that they might have formed endemic ecotypes which should be further investigated.The communities described are very rich in cryptogams. The floristic variation as expressed by the cryptogamic species composition shows largely the same pattern as that shown by the phanerogams.

Vergleichende Untersuchungen zum Elementgehalt von Bodenpflanzen auf Gipsstandorten

Summary On the xerothermic gypsum sites of Thuringia the concentrations of elements in the leaves of 13 characteristic species of the ground vegetation were determined. As far as possible the same species on carbonate and silicate sites served for the purpose of comparison. The grass species possess predominantly lower N, P, Ca, Mg, SO 4 —S, Zn and Cu values in their leaves than herbs. Cynanchum vincetoxicum, Salvia pratensis, Gypsophila fastigiata and Euphorbia cyparissias form a group of species with mostly higher concentrations of nutrient elements. On the gypsum sites the N content in leaves is mostly higher, while in the majority of the cases the Fe and Al content is lower than on the comparison sites. The Ca concentration in leaves decreases beginning from the gypsum sites via the carbonate to the silicate ones. On the gypsum and carbonate sites the K, P and Mn values are lower than on the silicate ones. With the exception of the often increased Ca content in the leaves ground vegetation growing on xerothermic gypsum and carbonate sites has in the main lower element contents as compared with vegetation growing on gneiss sites.

On the Pollen Morphology of Some scandinavian caryophyllaceae

Abstract A total of 36 species, varieties and hybrids from nine genera of Scandinavian Caryophyllaceae with pantoporate pollen grains have been investigated. Habrosia spinuliflora, a non-Scandinavian plant with pantoporate pollen grains, has also been investigated. Diagnoses (p. 71–80) and photomicrographs (including some photopalynograms) are provided. Measurements, etc., are given in tabular form (Tab. 1, p. 68). The smallest grains were found in Gypsophila muralis (24 μ) and Habrosia spinuliflora (27 μ), the largest in Agrostemma githago (63 μ) and Stellaria palustris (60 μ). The number of apertures ranges from 31–37(–45) in Agrostemma githago, Lychnis flos-cuculi and Melandrium album to 12 in Scleranthus perennis, Gypsophila fastigiata, Dianthus deltoides and several species of Stellaria etc. Thin sections of pollen grains in four species have been described (p. 81). Two main types of arrangement of bacula have been encountered. One type has through bacula, connecting nexine and tegillum (e.g. in Sile...