A Study on Polymorphism in Aster tripolium L. (Sea Aster)

Abstract

Genotypic and environmental variation in Aster tripolium L. was studied in common garden experiments and in transplantation experiments in different saltmarsh sites along the estuarine gradient of the Westerschelde and along the elevation gradient of individual saltmarshes.

Analysis of the variation in a number of morphologic characters of the inflorescences indicated that this variation is both environmentally as well as genetically controlled.

Morphologic differences between an Aster tripolium population of a brackish marsh and a number of populations of a saline marsh were unchanged whether the plants were growing in their original habitat or in a transplant habitat. The population from the brackish marsh had smaller inflorescences with ray florets and a predominantly biennial life cycle, in contrast with the populations of the saline marsh, which had larger inflorescences usually without or with a few ray florets and showed a tendency to a perennial life cycle.

We concluded that the variation between the populations of the saline and the brackish marsh is mainly genetically controlled, while the variation within the saline marsh is mainly environmentally controlled.

Key words

Aster tripolium - saltmarsh - genotypic variation - environmental variation

References

• 01 Buchenau,  F.. (1894) Flora der nordwestdeutschen Tiefebene. Leipzig; Wilhelm Engelmann Verlag
• 02 Clapham,  A. R.,, Pearsall,  W. H.,, and Chapman,  V. J.. (1942);  Biological flora of the British Isles. Aster tripolium L.  J. Ecol.. 30 385-395
• 03 Focke,  W. O.. (1906) Änderungen der Flora an der Nordsee-Küste. Bremen; Abh. Naturw. Ver. p. 18
• 04 Gray,  A. J.. (1971) Variation in Aster tripolium L., with particular reference to some British populations. UK; Thesis, University of Keele
• 05 Gray,  A. J.. (1987) Genetic change during succession in plants. Colonisation, Succession and Stability. Gray, A. J., Crawley, M. J., and Edwards, P. J., eds. Blackwell, Oxford; Proceedings 26th Symposium of the British Ecological Society pp. 273-293
• 06 Hegi,  G.. (1964) Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa (2. Aufl., bearb. von G. Wagenitz), VI, Vol. 3. Berlin; Verlag Paul Parey p. 64
• 07 Huiskes,  A. H. L., and Van Soelen,  J.. (1987) Seed productivity and seed polymorphism in Aster tripolium L. Vegetation between Land and Sea. Huiskes, A. H. L., Blom, C. W. P. M., and Rozema, J., eds. Dordrecht; Junk pp. 202-211
• 08 Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (KNMI). (1991) Jaar 1990. Jaaroverzicht van het weer in Nederland, Vol. 87 no. 13
• 09 Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut (KNMI). (1991) Jaar 1991. Jaaroverzicht van het weer in Nederland, Vol. 88 no. 13
• 10 Reichenbach,  H. G.. (1854) Icones Florae Germanicae et Helveticae. Leipzig
• 11 Silvertown,  J. W.. (1983);  Why are biennials sometimes not so few?.  Am. Nat.. 121 448-453
• 12 Silvertown,  J. W.. (1986);  “Biennials”: a reply to Kelly.  Am. Nat.. 127 721-724
• 13 Sokal,  R. R., and Rohlf,  F. J.. (1995) Biometry. 3rd edition. New York; Freeman and Company
• 14 Sterk,  A. A., and Wijnands,  D. O.. (1970);  On the variation in the flower heads of Aster tripolium L. in the Netherlands.  Acta Bot. Neerl.. 19 436-444
• 15 Wijnands,  D. O.. (1969) Een onderzoek naar de variabiliteit van Aster tripolium in Nederland. I. Beschrijvend onderzoek. Amsterdam; Student report, Hugo de Vries Laboratorium p. 49

Section Editor: R. Aerts