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Systematic and Ecological Studies of the Viola subsinuata Species Complex

Hastings, Jennifer Lynn
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou153185551690636

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Plant Biology (Arts and Sciences).
The genus Viola (Violaceae) contains 580 to 625 species and is found in nearly every plant community. The Acaulescent Blue violets (subsection Boreali-Americanae (W. Becker) Gil-ad) are a taxonomically challenging group in Viola due to their frequent hybridization and polymorphic variation, causing debate and resulting in divergent species delimitations among taxonomic specialists over the past century. One of these species, Viola subsinuata (Greene) Greene, is a homophyllous violet that expresses a wide range of morphological variation causing confusion among specialists. Recent fieldwork in the mountains of western Virginia, as well as common garden observations and laboratory studies, have suggested that V. subsinuata is a complex containing several distinct evolutionary species. This investigation used an integrative taxonomic approach to generate morphological, environmental, genetic, and reproductive data on the study taxa in Virginia, and applied the Unified Species Concept to detect and delineate distinct evolutionary species in the V. subsinuata complex. In most cases, the data sets supported recognition of five distinct evolutionary species: V. subsinuata sensu stricto, V. “Blue Ridge”, V. “tenuisecta” (a closely related species studied by Bethany Zumwalde), and two other species included for comparison or potential parents of hybrid plants, V. palmata L. and V. sororia Willd. The study highlighted the narrow regional endemic nature of V. “Blue Ridge” in Virginia's (and North Carolina's) Blue Ridge province.
Harvey Ballard, Jr. (Advisor)
David Rosenthal (Committee Member)
Brian McCarthy (Committee Member)
85 p.
Botany; Ecology; Plant Biology; Plant Sciences
Viola; Unified Species Concept; Systematics; Integrative taxonomy; Plant ecology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hastings, J. L. (2018). Systematic and Ecological Studies of the Viola subsinuata Species Complex [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou153185551690636

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hastings, Jennifer. Systematic and Ecological Studies of the Viola subsinuata Species Complex. 2018. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou153185551690636.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hastings, Jennifer. "Systematic and Ecological Studies of the Viola subsinuata Species Complex." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou153185551690636

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou153185551690636
252
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.