Grigoryan M. Yu., Volkova P. A., Ivanova M.O., Mochalova O. A., Logacheva M.D., Neretina T.V., Bobrov A. A.. No endemic Isoetes (Isoetaceae) species in the North Asian Pacific evidenced by genetic and morphological analysis // AQUATIC BOTANY. — 2025. — 198. — С. 103850. DOI:
doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2024.103850.
The genus Isoetes is a unique group of lycophytes that offers valuable insights into plant evolution. However,
taxonomic issues and evolutionary pathways within the genus require further study, particularly in North-East
Asia, where only representatives of the I. echinospora complex occur. We studied genetic (nuclear DNA
LFY2int and IBR3 regions, transcriptomes) and morphological (size and ornamentation of mega- and microspores,
velum coverage) variability of Iso¨etes populations, focusing on the Russian Far East. We found no clear
genetic and morphological differentiation between European and North Asian populations of diploid
I. echinospora s.l. (the latter was referred to as I. asiatica), not supporting treatment of I. asiatica as a separate
species. The finding of samples with spiny papillate microspores in some North Asian populations of
I. echinospora s.l. (neither differentiated by the other morphological characters, nor genetically) is of particular
interest. Genetic analysis of the North Asian Pacific tetraploid I. maritima (initially referred to as I. beringensis)
revealed its origin from diploid progenitors close to I. echinospora and North American I. bolanderi or I. howellii, as
has been shown earlier for North American populations. This finding supports treatment of the North Asian and
North American populations of I. maritima as one species, in line with their morphological similarity