Morphological differentiation of Polygonum viviparum (Polygonaceae) in European populations

Abstract

The variation of Polygonum viviparum L. in Europe was studied in 584 plants sampled from 14 populations at different altitudes and from different substrates in the Carpathians, Alps, Dinaric Alps, Pyrenees and Scandinavian Mts. The samples were analyzed biometrically, using 12 measured stem and inflorescence characters and 10 characters calculated from those 12. The obtained ranges of values were only slightly wider than those given in the literature. All characters significantly differed between populations and six characters were statistically significant in identifying differences between regions. Altitude, substrate and the interactions between them significantly affected the differences in characters between samples. The values of most of the measured characters were lower in samples from higher locations and on poor substrate than in those from lower localities and on rich substrate. Substrate type affected the calculated characters less but it influenced the shift between vegetative and generative reproduction. Multidimensional analyses confirmed the proximity of samples from regions either geographically close or linked via routes of postglacial migrations, despite altitude and substrate differences between them.