Oenanthe Aquatica Research Articles

Recruitment and migration patterns reveal a key role for seed banks in the meta-population dynamics of an aquatic plant

Progressive habitat fragmentation threatens plant species with narrow habitat requirements. While local environmental conditions define population growth rates and recruitment success at the patch level, dispersal is critical for population viability at the landscape scale. Identifying the dynamics of plant meta-populations is often confounded by the uncertainty about soil-stored population compartments. We combined a landscape-scale assessment of an amphibious plant’s population structure with measurements of dispersal complexity in time to track dispersal and putative shifts in functional connectivity. Using 13 microsatellite markers, we analyzed the genetic structure of extant Oenanthe aquatica populations and their soil seed banks in a kettle hole system to uncover hidden connectivity among populations in time and space. Considerable spatial genetic structure and isolation-by-distance suggest limited gene flow between sites. Spatial isolation and patch size showed minor effects on genetic diversity. Genetic similarity found among extant populations and their seed banks suggests increased local recruitment, despite some evidence of migration and recent colonization. Results indicate stepping-stone dispersal across adjacent populations. Among permanent and ephemeral demes the resulting meta-population demography could be determined by source-sink dynamics. Overall, these spatiotemporal connectivity patterns support mainland-island dynamics in our system, highlighting the importance of persistent seed banks as enduring sources of genetic diversity.

ON THE VASCULAR FLORA OF THE OLONETSKY STATE NATURE RESERVE (REPUBLIC OF KARELIA)

An annotated list of vascular plants detected in the Olonetsky State Nature Reserve (Zakaznik), located in southern Karelia, is presented for the first time. The reserve was established in 1986 in an area of 270 km2 on the basis of several protected areas of different statuses that had existed there in different time periods. Among the 444 species found, 369 (83.1 %) are native and 75 (16.9 %) are adventive. Information on exact localities, as well as on the population size and dynamics is provided for the rarest species, both native and alien. The habitats with the most distinctive flora in the reserve are xerophytic pine forests and willows thiсkets on the shore dunes and sandy beaches of Lake Ladoga, as well as swamps with black alder in the troughs between levees. Festuca sabulosa, Hypopitys monotropa, Jovibarba globifera, Oenanthe aquatica, and Viola stagnina are red-listed in Karelia. Seven more species: Scirpus radicans, Juncus balticus, Epipactis palustris, Malaxis monophyllos, Salix acutifolia, S. viminalis subsp.rossica, and S. triandra are listed in the regional Red Data Book as subject to biological surveillance. Several invasive species such as Amelanchier spicata, Aronia mitschurinii, Juncus tenuis, Lupinus polyphyllus, etc. have been found in the reserve. The expansion of the aggressive species Rosa rugosa is of particular concern. Brief information on the main kinds of human activity in the reserve which can significantly affect the composition of the flora, especially its adventive fraction, is given.

Новая ассоциация Phragmitetum altissimi ass. nov. (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea Klika in Klika et Novák 1941) из европейской части России и Западной Сибири

Новая ассоциация Phragmitetum altissimi ass. nov. (Phragmito-Magnocaricetea Klika in Klika et Novák 1941) из европейской части России и Западной Сибири

Андромоноэция и протандрия у Oenanthe aquatica (Apiaceae)

The paper studies the synflorescence structure and flowering biology of the biennial monocarpic wetland plant Oenanthe aquatica. This species has a set of adaptations to prevent self-pollination, including generation of a pseudanthium, andromonoecy, intra- and interfloral protandry, and a specific sequence of flowering within its umbels. The synflorescence of O. aquatica is a panicle of umbels. The size of perfect and male flowers consistently decreases as the order of synflorescence axes grows. The size-related differences between perfect and staminate flowers on axes of the same branching order consist only in the length of their calyx abaxial teeth, corolla diameter, width of abaxial petals, length and width of anthers, and length and height of stylopodium. We have identified two arrangements of staminate flowers in O. aquatica: male flowers are located at the periphery or in the center of the umbellets. The share of staminate flowers in umbels increases as an axis order grows. The female phase of flowers on axes of one order occurs simultaneously within entire synflorescences with the male phase of flowers on axes of the next order, which might mean geitonogamy. Perfect flowers live for five to seven days, while staminate flowers function for no more than one day. The article contains 4 Figures, 2 Tables, 32 References. The Authors declare no conflict of interest.

О флоре федерального природного заказника «Олонецкий» (Республика Карелия)

Olonetsky Nature Reserve (Zakaznik), located in Southern Karelia, was established in 1986 in an area of 27000 hectares. Surveys have detected 447 species of vascular plants, including 372 (83,2 %) native and 75 (16,8 %) alien ones. The shore dunes and sandy beaches of Lake Ladoga, as well as black alder swamps in depressions between ancient levees harbored the most distinctive flora. Festuca sabulosa, Hypopitys monotropa, Jovibarba globifera, Oenanthe aquatica, and Viola stagnina are red-listed in Karelia; seven more species are in need of monitoring. The spread of the aggressive invasive species Rosa rugosa is of particular concern.

Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activities of the Extracts from Two Oenanthe Species (O. aquatica and O. silaifolia).

This study presents the evaluation of biological activities and chemical profiling of Oenanthe aquatica (L.) Poir. and Oenanthe silaifolia M. Bieb. The phytochemical profile, antioxidant, enzyme inhibitory, cytotoxic and antiviral activities of the methanolic and aqueous extracts were investigated. The aqueous extract of O. aquatica possessing the highest content of phenolics (60.85 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract), also exhibited the strongest radical scavenging potential against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (79.46 and 148.66 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, respectively), the highest reducing ability (207.59 and 107.27 mg Trolox equivalent/g extract, for cupric reducing antioxidant capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant activity, respectively), metal chelating potential (33.91 mg ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid equivalent/g extract) and total antioxidant ability (1.60 mmol Trolox equivalent/g extract). Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS) permitted tentative identification of compounds from simple organic acids, phenolic acids, coumarins, flavonoids and their glycosides in O. aquatica and O. silaifolia extracts. The methanolic extract of O. aquatica substantially depressed acetylcholinesterase (3.67 mg galantamine equivalent/g extract), tyrosinase (126.66 mg kojic acid equivalent/g extract), and α-amylase (0.83 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract) enzymes. The methanolic extract of O. silaifolia showed highest enzymatic inhibitory property against butyrylcholinesterase, and its aqueous extract depressed α-glucosidase activity (0.26 mmol acarbose equivalent/g extract). All tested extracts exerted selective toxicity towards cancer cell lines, and the highest anticancer potential was found for O. aquatica aqueous extract on FaDu and HeLa cells with CC50 of 57.36 and 47.16 µg/mL, respectively. Significant antiviral activity against HSV-1 (HHV-1) was found for both aqueous extracts in concentrations of 1000 µg/mL, which inhibited the HSV-1 cytopathic effect (CPE) in virus infected VERO cells and reduced the virus infective titer by more than 3 log (logCCID50/mL). This study has produced critical scientific data on O. aquatica and O. silaifolia, which are potential contenders for the development of novel phyto-pharmaceuticals.

К БИОЛОГИИ OENANTHE AQUATICA (L.) POIR. (UMBELLIFLORAE)

The results of experiments on seed germination and the initial stages of ontogenesis of the hygrohelophyte Oenanthe aquatica under laboratory conditions are presented. The features of fruit germination and the initial stages of ontogenesis of Oenanthe aquatica (L.) Poir were studied. It was revealed that mature fruits of O. aquatica do not have a dormant period. Germination of both freshly harvested fruits and those subjected to various storage conditions for 4 months (in laboratory conditions, refrigerator and freezer), showed a high percentage of laboratory germination from 90.6 to 100%. At the same time, storage of fruits in the freezer and in the refrigerator led to a decrease in the lag-time and germination period (in comparison with those of freshly picked fruits and fruits stored at room temperature). It was revealed that the fruits of O. aquatica germinate without a dormant period. It was shown that the development of O. aquatica seedling under laboratory conditions lasts about 30 days. The transition of a plant to a juvenile ontogenetic state occurs when the cotyledon leaves die off and is accompanied by the appearance of all the main plant organs. The sprout is a monopodially growing rosette shoot with main and adventitious roots. The juvenile plant is also represented by a uniaxial monopodial and anisotropic rosette shoot. The transition to an immature age-related state is characterized by the preservation of the rosette form of growth and the appearance of axillary buds on the shoot. In juvenile and immature age states, plants usually hibernate. It was revealed that already at the seedling stage, the polyvariance of ontogenesis is traced according to the rates of development of plants (growing in Petri dishes and floating on the surface of the water in beakers), associated with different rates of plant transition from the seedling phase to the juvenile age state.

Genetic Diversity and Connectivity in Plant Species Differing in Clonality and Dispersal Mechanisms in Wetland Island Habitats.

In plants, long-distance dispersal is both attenuated and directed by specific movement vectors, including animals, wind, and/or water. Hence, movement vectors partly shape metapopulation genetic patterns that are, however, also influenced by other life-history traits such as clonal growth. We studied the relationship between area, isolation, plant-species richness, reproduction, and dispersal mechanisms with genetic diversity and divergence in 4 widespread wetland plant-species in a total of 20 island-like kettle-hole habitats surrounded by an intensive agricultural landscape. Our results showed that genetic parameters reflect the reproduction strategies with the highest genetic diversity being observed in the non-clonal, outcrossing Oenanthe aquatica compared to the clonal Lycopus europaeus, Typha latifolia, and Phragmites australis. Lycopus showed a positive relationship between genetic diversity and kettle-hole area, but a negative relationship with the number of neighboring kettle holes (less isolation). Genetic diversity increased with plant-species richness in the clonal species Phragmites and Lycopus; while it decreased in the non-clonal Oenanthe. Finally, genetic divergence and, therefore, connectivity differed between alternative dispersal strategies, where wind-dispersed Typha and Phragmites had a higher gene flow between the analyzed kettle holes compared with the insect-pollinated, hydrochorous Lycopus and Oenanthe. Our study provides information on genetic patterns related to reproduction and dispersal mechanisms of 4 common wetland species contributing to the understanding of the functioning of plant metacommunities occurring in kettle holes embedded in agricultural landscapes.

Lateglacial and Holocene floras and faunas from the Salpetermosen area, north-east Sjælland, Denmark

The Salpetermosen area in north-east Sjælland, Denmark, was deglaciated about 18 000 to 17 000 years ago. Melting of bodies of stagnant glacier ice led to the for-mation of kettle holes, which contain Lateglacial and Holocene sediments with remains of plants and animals that provide information on the past flora and fauna of the area. During the Allerød period, open forests with Betula pubescens (downy birch) characterised the area, the flora included light-demanding species such as Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry), Empetrum nigrum (crowberry) and rare Populus tremula (aspen), Betula nana (dwarf birch) and Rubus saxatilis (stone bramble), as well as the thermophilous swamp plant Oenanthe aquatica (fine-leaved water dropwort). During the Younger Dryas, the vegetation was characterised by dwarf-shrub heaths dominated by Betula nana, but including Dryas octopetala (mountain avens), Salix herbacea (least willow), Arctostaphylos alpina (alpine bearberry,) and rare Betula pube-scens, as well as the thermophilous plants Urtica dioeca (stinging nettle) and Lychnis flos-cuculi (ragged robin). The Early Holocene forests were dominated by Betula pubescens, Populus tremula and Pinus sylvestris (scots pine), but included rare Betula nana. Alnus glutinosa (alder) arrived at c. 10 000 cal. years BP. The calciphilous sedge Cladium mariscus (fen-sedge) and the macrolimnophyte Najas marina (spiny naiad) were common. The Late Holocene flora included the acidophilous plant Scheuchzeria palustris (rannoch-rush).

Screening potential genotoxic effect of aquatic plant extracts using the mussel micronucleus test

Objective: To assess the genotoxic potential of selected aquatic macrophytes: Ceratophyllum demersum L. (hornwort, family Ceratophyllaceae), Typha angustifolia L. (narrowleaf cattail, family Typhaceae), Stratiotes aloides L. (water soldier, family Butomaceae), and Oenanthe aquatica (L.) Poir. (water dropwort, family Umbelliferae). Methods: For genotoxicity assessment, the mussel micronucleus test was applied. Micronucleus frequency was determined from the haemolymph of Unio pictorum L. (painter’s mussel). In parallel, total and hydrolisable tannin contents were determined. Results: All plant extracts elucidated significant mutagenic effect. Significant correlation was determined between tannin content and mutagenic capacity. Conclusions: The significant correlation between genotoxicity as expressed by micronucleus frequency and tannin content (both total and hydrolisable tannins) indicate that tannin is amongst the main compounds being responsible for the genotoxic potential. It might be suggested that genotoxic capacity of these plants elucidate a real ecological effect in the ecosystem.

Ditch network sustains functional connectivity and influences patterns of gene flow in an intensive agricultural landscape.

In intensive agricultural landscapes, plant species previously relying on semi-natural habitats may persist as metapopulations within landscape linear elements. Maintenance of populations' connectivity through pollen and seed dispersal is a key factor in species persistence in the face of substantial habitat loss. The goals of this study were to investigate the potential corridor role of ditches and to identify the landscape components that significantly impact patterns of gene flow among remnant populations. Using microsatellite loci, we explored the spatial genetic structure of two hydrochorous wetland plants exhibiting contrasting local abundance and different habitat requirements: the rare and regionally protected Oenanthe aquatica and the more commonly distributed Lycopus europaeus, in an 83 km(2) agricultural lowland located in northern France. Both species exhibited a significant spatial genetic structure, along with substantial levels of genetic differentiation, especially for L. europaeus, which also expressed high levels of inbreeding. Isolation-by-distance analysis revealed enhanced gene flow along ditches, indicating their key role in effective seed and pollen dispersal. Our data also suggested that the configuration of the ditch network and the landscape elements significantly affected population genetic structure, with (i) species-specific scale effects on the genetic neighborhood and (ii) detrimental impact of human ditch management on genetic diversity, especially for O. aquatica. Altogether, these findings highlighted the key role of ditches in the maintenance of plant biodiversity in intensive agricultural landscapes with few remnant wetland habitats.

Characterization of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the fine-leaved water-Dropwort Oenanthe aquatica and the Gypsywort Lycopus europaeus, two farmland remnant wetland species

Oenanthe aquatica (Apiaceae) and Lycopus europaeus (Lamiaceae) are two hygrophilous plant species found in remnant wetland habitats in agricultural areas. O. aquatica is declining and protected and L. europaeus more common, while still restricted to remnant wet habitats. To gain insights into their population genetic structure, we developed and characterized 16 (O. aquatica) and 15 (L. europaeus) novel polymorphic microsatellite markers from next-generation sequencing. The number of alleles ranged from 1 to 14 for O. aquatica, and from 1 to 9 for L. europaeus. Expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.156 to 0.903 and from 0.333 to 0.749, with a mean multilocus F is estimate of 0.043 and 0.092 for O. aquatica and L. europaeus, respectively. Overall, these newly developed microsatellite markers showed high levels of polymorphism that will facilitate fine-scaled population genetic studies.

Ecological differentiation and reproductive isolation of two closely related sympatric species of Oenanthe (Apiaceae)

Oenanthe conioides is a lower Elbe endemic plant species growing in the freshwater tidal zone around Hamburg (Germany). Its closest relative Oenanthe aquatica is widely distributed in Eurasia and grows in calm and shallow freshwater. The two species differ in habitat requirements but are otherwise sympatrically distributed, suggesting that ecological divergence has to be maintained in the face of gene flow. In the present study, we investigated ecological differentiation and reproductive isolation in these two species. An amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis found clear genetic differentiation between the two species implying reproductive isolation. A reciprocal transplantation experiment including artificial F1 hybrids showed strong selection against immigrants. In the two parental habitats, the non-native species are less fit than the native species. Hybrids are less fit in the habitat of Oe. aquatica but perform as well as the native species in the habitat of Oe. conioides. We hypothesize that selection against immigrants is the most important component of reproductive isolation between the two species, and that selection against immigrants is the result of exposure to cold and wind in the tidal habitat of Oe. conioides and to herbivory in the habitat of Oe. aquatica. These results are congruent with a role for differential ecological selection in the formation and maintenance of these two species. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101, 526–535.

Germination ecology of two closely related taxa in the genus Oenanthe: Fine tuning for the habitat?

For two closely related amphibious plant taxa of the genus Oenanthe (Apiaceae) germination traits were examined. Habitats of the two taxa differ in hydroregime. The endemic Oenanthe conioides of the river Elbe estuary experiences daily tidal fluctuations whereas the widespread Oenanthe aquatica grows at the edge of ponds and in freshwater wetlands with rare and unpredictable fluctuations of water table. Seeds of both taxa could be characterized as non-dormant and light dependent. Under temperature fluctuations, germination percentage was higher than under constant temperatures. Salinity was tolerated to up to 3.3‰. At 10‰ there was a strong decrease in germination percentage, which did not result from ionic toxicity, as experiments with a gradient in osmolarity showed. Differences between the taxa were found concerning hydrological and temperature fluctuations. While O. aquatica showed no reduction in germination percentage under permanent 1 cm flooding, O. conioides did. On the other hand, germination under an artificial tidal hydroregime was better in O. conioides than in O. aquatica. During fluctuating temperatures of 3/22 and 6/22 °C O. conioides germinated much quicker and had a higher final germination percentage. Differences between the taxa could be correlated with differences of the hydrological regime in the specific habitat. Taking into account that O. conioides is phylogenetically a relatively young taxon, it may be hypothesized that a quick adaptation to the tidal conditions might have taken place.

Microevolutionary trends in fossil Oenanthe pollen and mericarps (subgenus Phellandrium) evidenced by material from selected Pleistocene sites in Poland

Mericarps and pollen grains collected in the Pleistocene lacustrine deposits in Poland were analyzed. Well-developed mericarps, resembling recent fruits of water dropwort Oenanthe ( Phellandrium subgenus), are found since the Eemian. Mericarps found in the Pliocene and in the Augustovian Interglacial (= Bavelian Complex or Cromerian I), in the Mazovian Interglacial (= Holsteinian interglacial) and in one of the interstadials after this interglacial are a distinct morphological type. They differ from recent mericarps of Oenanthe aquatica in shape and size. As late as the Vistulian, pollen grains are decidedly smaller and in parts with different microsculpture than recent reference material of pollen of O. aquatica. Probably, changes of vegetation in the late Pleistocene and in the Holocene could have induced changes in the composition of the pollinator assemblages, and as a consequence increase in size of pollen. Compared to mericarp evolution, the evolution of pollen of O. aquatica is somewhat delayed.

Totipotency, somatic embryogenesis, and Harry Waris (1893–1973)

F. C. Steward and Jakob Reinert in the late 1950s, independently and with different degrees of scientific exactness, demonstrated that somatic cells of cultivated carrot can produce embryo‐like structures in aseptic culture. Growth substances in the nutrient medium were viewed as central to the process. The now classic papers of Steward and Reinert have found a special and enduring place in the literature of plant development. But Harry Waris also deserves credit for his observation that vegetative cells sloughed off from aseptically germinated seedlings reared in liquid nutrient medium can produce ‘embryos’. In his studies, seedlings of Oenanthe aquatica (Umbelliferae) were maintained in culture for protracted periods under nutrient conditions designed to foster imbalance in protein metabolism, but without exogenous growth hormones. Seedlings placed in media with high concentrations of glycine grew normally for 3–4 months; after this a “period of morbidity” occurred, followed by production of new plants from the root tips. These new plants, later called “neomorphs”, in turn reproduced by colorless outgrowths of leaf epidermis. Such outgrowths, and “nodules” formed in a callus produced by the original seedlings, passed through stages described as “nodule”, “fusiform”, and a stage with two or more “lobes”. Transfer of the neomorphs to a medium lacking glycine resulted in the development of normal plants. We show that Waris was among the first, if not the first, to observe and recognize somatic embryo production in aseptic culture, and indeed to call them “embryos”. We also discuss his investigations in the context of understanding development at the cellular level, then and now.

Complete 1H (600 MHz) and 13C NMR spectral assignments of 3,4‐bis [(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)‐methyl]dihydro‐(3R‐trans)‐2(3H)‐furanone (matairesinol dimethyl ether), a naturally occurring dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan

AbstractThe concerted applications of a variety of one‐ and two‐dimensional NMR techniques (COSY, NOESY, HETCOR, COLOC, etc.) to the structural elucidation of the natural 3,4‐bis[(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl)methyl]dihydro‐(3R‐trans)‐2(3H)‐furanone, isolated from Oenanthe aquatica fruits, in CDCl3 solution are reported. The magnitude of the 1H,1H coupling constants obtained from the simulated spectrum together with a series of homonuclear NOE difference spectra were used to determine the full stereochemistry of the system.

Oenanthe aquatica (L.)Poir.: Seed reproduction, population structure, habitat conditions and distribution in Czechoslovakia

The paper summarizes data concerning the biology and ecology ofOenanthe aquatica. The species is commonly distributed all over Czechoslovakia, from lowlands to the submontane belt, especially in fishpond and river basins.O. aquatica shows no special relationship to the chemical and physical soil properties, and is well adapted to habitats with a changing water level. The reproduction ofO. aquatica depends on emerging of the bottom. The most developed populations are formed by biennial plants and arise in the year following summer or autumn drainage.

Stabilization of tinctures with cyclodextrins: a tincture from the fruits of Oenanthe aquatica L.

An original system of stabilization of the active principles of tinctures by means of cyclodextrins (α, β, γ-CyD) is proposed. In the particular case of a tincture from the fruits of Oenanthe aquatica L. the microinclusion of the components was found to be incomplete in all 3 cyclodextrins. However, β-CyD was the most efficient since a solid form was derived from it in which the most unstable active principles, polyacetylenes and terpenes, are included in the cyclic olygosaccharide and the others, lignans and steroids, are present as a physical mixture. GC checks confirmed the full correspondence of the components of this new form to those of the tincture from which it derives. The advantages of its use lie in the stabilization of the most unstable microincluded active principles within it, which was verified by means of artificial ageing studies, and in the implication that simple and complex solid dosage forms may be more simply prepared.

ChemInform Abstract: Vibronic Absorption Spectra of Naturally Occurring Conjugated Polyenynes. Evidence for Localized Excitations.

AbstractNormal and second‐derivative UV spectra, in hexane, are recorded for 13 polyunsaturated pentadecanes, all extracted from Oenanthe aquatica fruits as described previously.