Morphological diversity of the invasive plant lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)
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Date
2021-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) is a spring ephemeral wildflower native to Europe and introduced in the eastern United States as a garden flower. The species escaped cultivation and invaded riparian woodlands and floodplains. Although genetic and morphological diversity of R. ficaria has been studied in Europe, few studies have examined morphological traits in North America under controlled conditions. This experiment aims to document leaf, floral, and reproductive trait diversity in populations of R. ficaria in four cities: Louisville, KY, and Cincinnati, Columbus, and Cleveland, OH. I collected a total of 129 living plant samples from 43 sites along riverways. I replanted samples and measured trait values in an outdoor common garden experiment in Spring 2020. I found a high prevalence of clonal reproductive structures in all four cities and all riverways. The presence of clonal reproductive structures was correlated with the number of leaves. Flowers were produced by plants collected from 31 of 43 sites, but plants from Cincinnati did not flower. Surprisingly, all 31 sites which produced flowers also produced enlarged achenes, indicating possible seed production. I found that plants from Cleveland have smaller flowers and longer leaves than plants from the other cities. Plants from east Columbus riverways have larger flowers than plants from central Columbus riverways. In summary, I documented both between-city and within-city morphological diversity.
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Keywords
invasion ecology, morphology, clonal reproduction, plants, waterways, riparian