A cytological, morphometric, and ecological study of \kur{Spergularia echinosperma} in the Czech Republic and its comparison with a closely similar species S. \kur{rubra}

Abstract

In the present study, I dealt with morphological, cytological, and ecological research on a rare Central-European species Spergularia echinosperma and its comparison with a similar weedy species S. rubra. Existence of two cytotypes of S. echinosperma significantly differing in their morphology was revealed, as well as distinct morphological differences between the two species were found. Moreover, the analyses revealed one possibly hybridogenous population. In addition, both the species and the cytotypes were also proven to display different germination behavior, which I correlate with their individual ecological adaptations