{"id":62,"date":"2018-12-31T06:06:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-31T06:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/?p=62"},"modified":"2025-10-03T07:03:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T07:03:40","slug":"illuminating-the-systematics-of-the-spiranthes-sinensis-species-complex-orchidaceae-ecological-speciation-with-little-morphological-differentiation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/?p=62","title":{"rendered":"Illuminating the systematics of the Spiranthes sinensis species complex (Orchidaceae): ecological speciation with little morphological differentiation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pld-like-dislike-wrap pld-template-2\">\r\n    <div class=\"pld-like-wrap  pld-common-wrap\">\r\n    <a href=\"javascript:void(0)\" class=\"pld-like-trigger pld-like-dislike-trigger  \" title=\"\" data-post-id=\"62\" data-trigger-type=\"like\" data-restriction=\"cookie\" data-already-liked=\"0\">\r\n                        <i class=\"fas fa-heart\"><\/i>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n    <span class=\"pld-like-count-wrap pld-count-wrap\">0    <\/span>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>By Matthew C. Pace, Giovanny Giraldo, Jonathan Frericks, Carlos A. Lehnebach, and Kenneth M Cameron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>\u201c<\/strong>&#8230;the most prudent taxonomic solution for this complex is the recognition of six species and one nothospecies of Asian and Australasian Spiranthes <strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Clarity in species delimitation is fundamental for successfully testing evolutionary theory and is integral to implementing conservation strategies. The Old World <em>Spiranthes sinensis<\/em> species complex (Orchidaceae) has been a source of systematic confusion due to its expansive distribution and morphological variation, lacking a comprehensive systematic review. Working under an integrative phylogenetic species concept, we provide an expansive molecular phylogenetic sampling of the <em>S<\/em>. <em>sinensis<\/em> species complex, compliment this with phenological and morphological studies and clarify species boundaries in this challenging group. Our data support a re-circumscription of the <em>S<\/em>. <em>sinensis<\/em> species complex, recognizing six distinct species and one natural hybrid, with other taxa reduced to synonyms: <em>S<\/em>. <em>australis<\/em>, <em>S<\/em>. <em>flexuosa<\/em>, <em>S<\/em>. <em>maokensis<\/em> sp. nov., <em>S<\/em>. <em>sinensis s.s<\/em>., <em>S<\/em>. <em>suishaensis<\/em>, <em>S<\/em>. <em>sunii<\/em> and <em>S<\/em>. \u00d7<em>hongkongensis<\/em> (<em>pro species<\/em>, <em>S<\/em>. <em>flexuosa<\/em> \u00d7 <em>S<\/em>. <em>sinensis s.s<\/em>.). The recognition of <em>S<\/em>. <em>flexuosa<\/em> also refines the distribution of <em>S<\/em>. <em>spiralis<\/em>. Our research indicates phenological divergence, reinforced by glacial vicariance, may have strongly influenced the evolution and speciation of this clade, with few observable or measurably significant morphological differences among these species (other than pubescence). We also discuss the importance and prevalence of autogamy among island populations of <em>Spiranthes<\/em>. Our work can be used by researchers working on the systematics and biogeography of other Asian and Australasian species complexes, and we underscore the continued importance of nomenclatural and specimen review and correct species identification in evolutionary and ethnobotanical studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/botlinnean\/article-abstract\/189\/1\/36\/5213078?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The full article can be viewed here&#8230;<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>0 By Matthew C. Pace, Giovanny Giraldo, Jonathan Frericks, Carlos A. Lehnebach, and Kenneth M Cameron. \u201c&#8230;the most prudent taxonomic solution for this complex is the recognition of six species&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62\/revisions\/64"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forkandtrowel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}