Comparative analysis of genetic and morphological variation within the Platanthera hyperborea complex (Orchidaceae) ...

• Main Authors: Wallace, Lisa, Wettewa, Eranga, Bailey, Nicholas
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2020
• Subjects: Greenland; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w0vt4b8np; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.w0vt4b8np

Species complexes present considerable problems for a working taxonomy due to the presence of intraspecific variation, hybridization, polyploidy, and phenotypic plasticity. Understanding evolutionary patterns using molecular markers can allow for a more thorough assessment of evolutionary lineages than traditional morphological markers. In this study, we evaluated genetic diversity and phylogenetic patterns among taxa of the Platanthera hyperborea (Orchidaceae) complex, which includes diploid (Platanthera aquilonis) and polyploid (Platanthera hyperborea, P. huronensis, P. convallariifolia) taxa spanning North America, Greenland, Iceland, and Asia. We found that three floral morphological characters overlap among the polyploid taxa, but the diploid species has smaller flowers. DNA sequence variation in a plastid (rpL16 intron) and a nuclear (ITS) marker indicated that at least three diploid species have contributed to the genomes of the polyploid taxa, suggesting all are of allopolyploid origin. Platanthera ... : Sequences of ITS and rpl16 were collected by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Morphological data was measured on herbarium specimens under a stereomicroscope. Sequences were edited and aligned using Sequencher and Se-AL. ...