Disentangling Taxonomic Complexity in the Native Range: Morphological and Genetic Differentiation Among Subspecies of Taeniatherum caput-medusae

Authors: HINKLE, ML - Boise State University; SFORZA, RENÉ - European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL); SMITH, JF - Boise State University; SERPE, MD - Boise State University; NOVAK, SJ - Boise State University

Submitted to: Agronomy Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/11/2025
Publication Date: 2/13/2025
Citation: Hinkle, M., Sforza, R., Smith, J., Serpe, M., Novak, S. 2025. Disentangling Taxonomic Complexity in the Native Range: Morphological and Genetic Differentiation Among Subspecies of Taeniatherum caput-medusae. Agronomy Journal. 15:454. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020454.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020454

Interpretive Summary: Knowing the correct taxonomical status of an invasive alien plant species helps to understand the types of management one can propose to fight the invasion. Grasses are a big component of alien plant species in the USA. One of the major threats is medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), an annual grass highly invasive on rangelands of the western US, in the Great basin, from Colorado to Washington State. Medusahead is native to the Mediterranean basin and presents three distinct subspecies, subsp. caput-medusae, subsp. crinitum and subsps. asperum which is the one introduced into the USA. As part of ongoing research to better understand and manage the invasion of T. caput-medusae in the western United States, the accurate identification of these three subspecies is a requisite first step. Plants from each native population, collected under appropriate import and export permits, were grown in a greenhouse common garden in the USA, harvested at maturity, and measured using five previously described morphological features. Three features, glume length, glume angle, and palea length, were found to be statistically significant, and are diagnostic in differentiating the three subspecies. Two other features were less informative. Genetic differentiation among native populations of medusahead was further assessed using a molecular marker, allozymes. These allozyme markers indicate that subspecies crinitum is genetically differentiated from the other two, some populations of subspecies caput-medusae and asperum co-occur within a cluster, and subspecies asperum is the most variable. Our findings confirm the need to better understand the taxonomic complexity that can be found in the native range of invasive species.

Technical Abstract: The timely and accurate identification of invasive species is a critical first step in recognizing and managing the threats that they present in their new habitats. The accurate identification of an invasive species, however, can prove difficult if that species displays taxonomic complexity in its native range, i.e. consists of multiple, morphologically similar subspecies. Across its native range, the grass Taeniatherum caput-medusae (medusahead) exhibits taxonomic complexity: three subspecies have been recognized. As part of ongoing research to better understand and manage the invasion of T. caput-medusae in the western United States, the accurate identification of these three subspecies is a requisite first step. Plants from each native population were grown in a greenhouse common garden, harvested at maturity, and measured using five previously described morphological features. Three features, glume length, glume angle, and palea length, were found to be statistically significant, and are diagnostic in differentiating the three subspecies. Two other features were less informative. Genetic differentiation among native populations of T. caput-medusae was further assessed using a molecular marker, allozymes. The results of a UPGMA cluster diagram based on allozyme data, indicates that subspecies crinitum is genetically differentiated from the other two, some populations of subspecies caput-medusae and asperum co-occur within a cluster, and subspecies asperum is the most variable. Results of the analysis of multilocus genotypes are generally consistent with the UPGMA diagram (e.g., subspecies caput-medusae and asperum share six multilocus genotypes). Our findings confirm the need to better understand the taxonomic complexity that can be found in the native range of invasive species.