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Phenotypic variability and genetic differentiation in continental and island populations of Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae: Antarctic pearlwort)

Polar Biology volume 40, pages 2397–2409 (2017)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 September 2017

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Abstract

Colobanthus quitensis (Antarctic pearlwort) is one of the only two native vascular plants to inhabit the extreme environmental conditions of Antarctica. Colobanthus quitensis has a wide geographic distribution, both in latitude and altitude, and always inhabits extreme environments. This makes it crucial for understanding environmental tolerance mechanisms, and a useful model for studies regarding genetic diversity and intraspecific morphology. Several morphological and molecular descriptors were applied to C. quitensis populations, constituting the first study of its kind in these species. We postulated that morphological variability is strongly linked to geographic distribution, and that this is manifested in external morphological characteristics and genetic structure. A large intra- and interpopulational morphological variability was verified. Both morphological variability and genetics made it possible to form two separate groups between continental and Antarctic island populations. The genetic diversity was high to moderate with the least amount of diversity towards the north. The genetic structure was high, and the gene flow between populations was low. The correlation between morphological, genetic, geographic and altitudinal distances permits the proposal of an isolation by distance model that can be used between populations with high Bio-geographical influence. Understanding what factors lead to local or colonization adaptation, and determining the morphological variations and genetic differentiation in populations of C. quitensis, is vital for the understanding of the evolutionary history that has contributed to the success of the establishment of this species in an environment as extreme as Antarctica. Additionally, this study demonstrates the usefulness of the combined use of morpho-physiological and molecular markers for variability and diversity studies.

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Change history

  • 01 September 2017

    An erratum to this article has been published.

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Acknowledgements

This research was undertaken with financing from the Chilean Antarctic Institute through the INACH RT_03-09 and INACH RG_02-13 projects. We wish to thank the Chilean Antarctic Institute, the Chilean Air Force, Chilean Navy and Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station for the logistical support during the on-site activities. The authors would like to thank Dieter Piepenburg, Peter Convey, and the other two reviewers, for their thorough analysis that has led to a significant improvement in this work. Finally, we wish to thank the editors at International Journal Revisions for their contributions and comprehensive English language revision.

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  1. Laboratory de Biotecnología y Estudios Ambientales. Escuela de Ciencias y Tecnología, Universidad de Concepción, Campus Los Ángeles. Casilla 341, Juan Antonio Coloma, 0201, Los Ángeles, Chile

    Marely Cuba-Díaz, Macarena Klagges, Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo, Cristian Cordero, Daniela Acuña & Génesis Opazo

  2. Laboratorio de Invasiones Biológicas. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad de Concepción, Victoria 631, Barrio Universitario, Concepción, Chile

    Eduardo Fuentes-Lillo

  3. Laboratorio de Nanocelulosa y Biomateriales, Universidad de Chile, Beauchef 851, Piso 5, Santiago Centro, Chile

    Génesis Opazo

  4. Laboratorio de Palinología y Ecología Vegetal, Escuela de Ciencias y Tecnología, Universidad de Concepción, Campus Los Ángeles. Casilla 341, Juan Antonio Coloma, 0201, Los Ángeles, Chile

    José M. Troncoso-Castro

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  1. Marely Cuba-Díaz
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An erratum to this article is available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2188-y.

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Cuba-Díaz, M., Klagges, M., Fuentes-Lillo, E. et al. Phenotypic variability and genetic differentiation in continental and island populations of Colobanthus quitensis (Caryophyllaceae: Antarctic pearlwort). Polar Biol 40, 2397–2409 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2152-x

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Keywords

  • Antarctic
  • Ecotypes
  • Genetic structure
  • Genetic variability
  • Morphological diversity
  • Antarctic pearlwort