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Morphological dissection of leaf, bud and infructescence traits of the interfertile native A. glutinosa and non-native A. incana in Flanders (northern part of Belgium)

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Spontaneous hybrids in natural regenerations of A. glutinosa cannot be excluded if A. incana is occurring in the neighbourhood, and has to be taken into account when restoring swamp forests.

Abstract

Swamp forests with A. glutinosa are endangered in Flanders due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, and therefore restoration is promoted. At the other hand, frequent plantations of A. incana, a non-native species in Flanders (northern part of Belgium), may facilitate spontaneous hybrids between the two species as they are interfertile. We assessed phenotypic variability of both species and putative hybrids using nine leaf, five infructescence and eight bud characters, and additionally height growth. We focussed on a field trial established with seeds collected in fifteen autochthonous A. glutinosa stands and on A. incana trees of unknown origin sampled at five locations in Flanders. We applied geometric morphometric methods, principal component analyses and mixed modelling methods. We found three individuals with intermediate morphological traits between A. glutinosa and A. incana among the eleven pedigrees in one of the two natural A. glutinosa populations where also planted A. incana was present. Their height growth was variable and only one of the three fructified, with seeds showing a normal germination success. These individuals can be hybrids with intermediate features between the parental species or they may display the natural variability of the latter with overlapping traits. Other individuals with intermediate leaf shape but less intermediate features for other leaf, bud and infructescence characters, found in the pedigrees of additional four A. glutinosa populations, may point to the relative wide natural variability for leaf shape within the parental species. Alternatively, these may concern backcrossed individuals or matro/patroclinal inheritance in hybrids. An inter-population variance study showed that several leaf characters are under a relative genetic control, underlining the importance of vegetative organs in taxonomic treatment of species complexes. The occurrence of spontaneous hybrids in natural regenerations of A. glutinosa cannot be excluded if A. incana is present in the neighbourhood, and has to be taken into account both in seed collections for the creation of autochthonous planting stock as when restoring swamp forests.

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Acknowledgments

We thank David De Lignie, Stefaan Moreels, Wim Stevens, Steven Haelterman, Yves Verhaegen, André Meersman and Karen Cox, all affiliated to the Research Institute for Nature and Forest, for seed collections, plant growth, planting of the field trial and plantation management. Furthermore we specifically thank Jaennine Moeskops, a volunteer, for several morphological measurements and observations on the herbarium.

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  1. Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Gaverstraat 4, 9500, Geraardsbergen, Belgium

    Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge

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  1. Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge
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Correspondence to Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge.

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The author declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by U. Luettge.

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Vander Mijnsbrugge, K. Morphological dissection of leaf, bud and infructescence traits of the interfertile native A. glutinosa and non-native A. incana in Flanders (northern part of Belgium). Trees 29, 1661–1672 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1247-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1247-7

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