Molecular and morphological data resurrect the long neglected <em>Carex laxula</em> (Cyperaceae) and expand its range in the western Mediterranean

Abstract

Benítez-Benítez, C., Míguez, M., Jiménez-Mejías, P. & Martín-Bravo, S. 2017. Molecular and morphological data resurrect the long neglected Carex laxula (Cyperaceae) and expand its range in the western Mediterranean. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 74(1): e057.Carex sylvatica subsp. paui is a poorly studied taxon considered endemic from a few places in the western Mediterranean. It has been frequently misidentified as C. sylvatica subsp. sylvatica. To date, it has been reported only from the NE Iberian Peninsula and the NW Africa. We use molecular -nuclear ribosomal and plastid sequences-and morphological data to shed light on the taxonomic circumscription and distribution of this taxon, especially regarding its distinction from the type subspecies. The genetic data support the recognition of C. syl vatica subsp. paui as an independent taxon, and confirm new records from the Balearic and Tuscan archipelagos. It implies a considerable increase in its range and a new taxon for the Italian flora. Strikingly, the morphometric analyses revealed that the Sicilian type specimen of C. laxula identifies this species with C. sylvatica subsp. paui. We consider that the taxon should be ranked at the species level. Based on the priority of the name C. laxula over C. paui, we subsume C. sylvatica subsp. paui in C. laxula. We also provide notes on the ecology of the species.Keywords: Balearic archipelago, Carex sect. Sylvaticae, ITS, Mediterranean flora, taxonomy, Tyrrhenian, Tuscan archipelago, 5'trnK. ResumenBenítez-Benítez, C., Míguez, M., Jiménez-Mejías, P. & Martín-Bravo, S. 2017. Datos moleculares y morfológicos resucitan la olvidada Carex la xula (Cyperaceae) y aumentan su área de distribución en la cuenca mediterránea occidental. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 74(1): e057.Carex sylvatica subsp. paui es un taxon poco estudiado considerado endémico de unos pocos lugares del oeste del Mediterráneo. Ha sido frecuentemente confundida con C. sylvatica subsp. sylvatica. Hasta la fecha, se ha citado solo del noreste de España y el noroeste de África. Utilizamos datos moleculares -secuencias nucleares y plastiales-y morfológicos para estudiar la delimitación taxonómica y distribución de este taxon, especialmente en relación con la subespecie tipo. Los datos genéticos apoyan el reconocimiento de C. sylvatica subsp. paui como un taxon independiente y confirman su presencia en los archipiélagos baleárico y toscano. Esto implica un considerable aumento de su área de distribución y un nuevo taxon para la flora italiana. Sorprendentemente, los análisis morfométricos han mostrado que el espécimen siciliano y tipo de C. laxula es C. sylvatica subsp. paui. Consideramos que este taxon debería ser reconocido al nivel de especie. Dada la prioridad del nombre C. laxula sobre C. paui, sinonimizamos C. sylvatica subsp. paui a C. laxula. Además, proporcionamos información sobre la ecología de esta especie.

A tale of worldwide success: Behind the scenes of Carex (Cyperaceae) biogeography and diversification

“…This initial matrix consisted of 2150 concatenated Carex sequences, representing 996 of the currently 1992 accepted species (50%; Govaerts et al, ) from 110 of the 126 recognized sections (92.06%; see GCG, ). We expanded this dataset by adding 2402 concatenated sequences available in GenBank for these DNA regions up to mid‐2014 as compiled in GCG (); 522 new concatenated sequences (see Data S2) obtained for this study from materials on loan from A, BISH, E, K, MO, NY, and TUS (Thiers, ), following the lab protocols described in GCG (); and 448 concatenated sequences available in GenBank for these DNA regions (ITS, ETS, matK ) and published in recent phylogenetic studies (Léveillé‐Bourret et al, , 2018a, 2018c; Gebauer et al, ; Molina et al, ; Starr et al, ; Villaverde et al, 2015a, 2015b, 2017c; Elliott et al, ; Benítez‐Benítez et al, ; Márquez‐Corro et al, ; Míguez et al, ; see Data S2). The outgroup was composed of seven samples, representing tribe Scirpeae ( Eriophorum vaginatum , Scirpus polystachyus ), and the recently described tribes Trichophoreae ( Trichophorum alpinum , T. cespitosum ) and Sumatroscirpeae ( Sumatroscirpus paniculatocorymbosus , S .…”

“…Bipolar distributions at the species level have also been particularly well‐documented in Carex and explained mostly by direct long‐distance dispersal from the Northern Hemisphere to high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere in South America and New Zealand (Villaverde et al, 2015a, 2015b, 2017b, 2017c; Márquez‐Corro et al, ; Maguilla et al, ). The genus also exhibits circumpolar (Gebauer et al, ; Hoffmann et al, ; Maguilla et al, ), Beringian (Schönswetter et al, ; King & Roalson, ; Maguilla et al, ), amphi‐Atlantic (Schönswetter et al, ; Jiménez‐Mejías et al, 2012b; Westergaard et al, ), Arctic‐Alpine (Schönswetter et al, , ; Jiménez‐Mejías et al, 2012a; Gebauer et al, ; Hoffmann et al, ), pan‐Himalayan (Uzma et al, ), Europe‐Central Asia (Schönswetter et al, ), East‐West Europe/Mediterranean (Escudero et al, , ; Jiménez‐Mejías et al, , 2012a; Míguez et al, ; Benítez‐Benítez et al, , ), and Eastern‐Western North America (Roalson & Friar, 2004a, 2004b; Hipp et al, ; Hipp, ; Dragon & Barrington, ) distribution patterns, all illuminated using phylogenetic approaches. Colonization of isolated oceanic archipelagos from mainland sources has also been documented by several authors; these include Hawaii (Dragon & Barrington, ), Macaronesia (Escudero et al, ; Jiménez‐Mejías et al, 2012b; Míguez et al, ), Mascarenes and Tristan da Cunha (Escudero et al, ), and Juan Fernández (Ridley & Jiménez‐Mejías, in prep.).…”

Carex quixotiana (Cyperaceae), a new Iberian endemic from Don Quixote’s land (La Mancha, S Spain)

“…Floras, monographs and checklists published from the second half of the 20 th century have progressively increased the number of reported Carex native taxa in the Iberian Peninsula ( Vicioso 1959 : 74 taxa; Chater 1980 : 95 taxa; Luceño and Aedo 1994 : 98 taxa; Luceño 2008 : 101 taxa; Luceño et al unpublished data: 108 taxa). These studies, along with the finding of new Iberian records (e.g., C. cespitosa , Jiménez-Mejías et al 2007 ), re-evaluation of neglected taxa (e.g., C. paui , Benítez-Benítez et al 2017 ; Troia et al 2018 ) or even description of new ones (e.g., C. lucennoiberica , Maguilla and Escudero 2016 ; C. camposii subsp. tejedensis , Sánchez-Villegas et al 2022 ), demonstrate that the taxonomic and biogeographic knowledge of Carex in this territory is still in progress.…”

Carex camposii subsp. tejedensis (Cyperaceae), a new taxon for Southern Iberian Peninsula based on molecular, morphological and ecological differentiation.

“…Most species occur in cold-temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere (Reznicek, 1990;Martín-Bravo et al, 2019). In Europe and the Mediterranean basin grow approximately 230 species of this genus , of which almost 100 (Luceño, 2008;Jiménez Mejías et al, 2011a;Benítez-Benítez et al, 2017;Maguilla & Escudero, 2017;Luceño et al, in prep. ) can be found in the Iberian Peninsula.…”

“…Lestib.) Heer), Carex (c. 1400 species) is the most species rich subgenus in the Iberian Peninsula, with 69 species recognized to date (Luceño, 2008;Jiménez Mejías et al, 2011a;Benítez-Benítez et al, 2017;Luceño et al, in prep. ).…”