An integrative approach supports the taxonomic distinction of the Sardo-Corsican endemic <i>Euphorbia semiperfoliata</i> from the widespread <i>E. amygdaloides</i> (Euphorbiaceae)

In the western Mediterranean, Corsica and Sardinia are characterised by high plant diversity and endemism, and exhibit a tight biogeographic connection. One of the endemic taxa thriving in forests, macchia, along riversides and in mountain grasslands of both islands is Euphorbia semiperfoliata. It was often considered a subspecies of the widespread European forest plant Euphorbia amygdaloides, or deemed closely related with the western Asian E. macroceras and E. oblongifolia. Here, we explored the evolutionary origin of E. semiperfoliata using nuclear ITS sequences that showed that E. semiperfoliata is divergent from E. amygdaloides and the other species of E. sect. Patellares, which indicates its old, likely Tertiary origin. In addition, its relative genome size is different from E. amygdaloides and other species and several morphological characters revealed by morphometric analyses differentiate E. semiperfoliata from E. amygdaloides. Finally, we provide a taxonomic treatment for E. semiperfoliata, including the typification and a morphological description.</p

Kdrymeia_morphology_data

Table containing raw data of morphometric analysis of Knautia drymeia. For abbreviations of characters and populations see main text of the manuscript

Certner_2015_EcolEvol

This MS Excel file contains all the primary data and some partial results

Additional file 1: Table S1. of Patterns of rapid diversification in heteroploid Knautia sect. Trichera (Caprifoliaceae, Dipsacoideae), one of the most intricate taxa of the European flora

Voucher information and GenBank accession numbers. More information can be retrieved from http://www.uibk.ac.at/botany/balkbiodiv/?BALKBIODIV under “Sampling sites” (XLS 166 kb

Additional file 3: Figure S2. of Patterns of rapid diversification in heteroploid Knautia sect. Trichera (Caprifoliaceae, Dipsacoideae), one of the most intricate taxa of the European flora

Bayesian consensus phylogram of Dipsacoideae focussing on Knautia based on Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequences. Values above and below branches are parsimony bootstrap values > 50 and posterior probabilities derived from Bayesian analysis > 0.80, respectively. The colour of terminal branches represents ploidy: black, diploid; red, tetraploid; green, hexaploid (PDF 1386 kb

Ecological Differentiation

Accompanying vegetation and the attributed Landolt indicator value

Morphological differentiation

character values of morpholog

TransplantsMonitoring

Fitness Monitoring in natural population

Transplants Survival

Number of seedlings recorded in natural population

Germination and Fitness recorded in climate chambers

Germination and Fitness recorded in climate chamber