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Title: A morphological and molecular study in the Deschampsia cespitosa complex (Poaceae; Poeae; Airinae) in northern North America

Author
item CHIAPELLA, JORGE - UNIVERSIDAD DE CORDOBA
item DEBOER, VERONICA - AK SCIENTIFIC CRIME LAB
item AMICO, GUILLERMO - Universidad Del Comahue
item Kuhl, Joseph

Submitted to: American Journal of Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2011
Publication Date: 8/20/2011
Citation: Chiapella, J., Deboer, V., Amico, G.C., Kuhl, J.C. 2011. A morphological and molecular study in the Deschampsia cespitosa complex (Poaceae; Poeae; Airinae) in northern North America. American Journal of Botany. 98(8):1366-1380.

Interpretive Summary: Preserved samples of Deschampsia species were selected from North America, including Greenland, arctic Canada, Alaska and eastern Russia. Specimens were evaluated for morphological and molecular characters. Molecular characters derived from a chloroplast sequence proved to be nearly identical. However, morphological characters, 56 total, were able to significantly separate subspecies, including Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. cespitosa, D. cespitosa subsp. alpina (L.) Tzvelev, D. cespitosa subsp. beringensis (Hulten) W. E. Lawr., D. cespitosa subsp. brevifolia (R. Br.) Tzvelev, D. cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. subsp. glauca (Hartm.) C. Hartm., D. cespitosa var. mackenzieana (Raup) B. Boivin, D. cespitosa subsp. orientalis Hulten.

Technical Abstract: The morphology of 201 accessions of Deschampsia cespitosa and related taxa of northern North America (Alaska, arctic Canada, Greenland and eastern Russia) were studied with statistics (an ordination multivariate technique and a non parametric test), and the cpDNA marker trnK-rps16. Results show that Deschampsia cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. var. cespitosa, D. cespitosa subsp. alpina (L.) Tzvelev, D. cespitosa subsp. beringensis (Hulten) W. E. Lawr., D. cespitosa subsp. brevifolia (R. Br.) Tzvelev, D. cespitosa (L.) P. Beauv. subsp. glauca (Hartm.) C. Hartm., D. cespitosa var. mackenzieana (Raup) B. Boivin, D. cespitosa subsp. orientalis Hulten are a molecular closely related group in which several sequences were nearly identical, but which differs significantly in several morphological characters allowing for the recognition of separate diagnosable taxa.