Conservation issues and infraspecific polymorphism of Cypripedium guttatum on selected locations in Russia

Abstract

The problem of protection and conservation of rare and endangered plant species in the wild is currently the topic of discussion and research worldwide. The Orchidaceae plants are of special concern. Orchids are so well adapted to their environments. Moreover, they have special requirements that makes it difficult to transplant them from the wild and they are rarely surviving after. They are therefore a key group in conservation. This research aimed to study the polymorphism of Cypripedium guttatum flowers in their natural populations on selected locations in Russia. On the basis of studying C. guttatum populations in Primorsky Krai, Sverdlovsk region, Komi Republic, and Krasnoyarsky Krai, we identified and described five forms of C. guttatum in terms of their flower colouration. A comparison study of the infraspecific structure revealed that the form variation in the studied C. guttatum populations was the highest in Primorsky Krai and the lowest in Sverdlovsk region. A discriminant analysis indicated the following statistically significant morphometric parameters to recognise different forms of C. guttatum: shoot height, leaf width, flower width, height and width of dorsal sepal and staminode width. A population variation analysis was conducted with respect to the following three indicators: the average number of morphs per population, the rare morph ratio in the population, and the similarity index of the studied populations. On the basis of monitoring C. guttatum populations and studying their infraspecific structure, as well as the biology and ecology of this threatened orchid species, we developed a specific conservation project for rare and endangered orchid species complying with the unique biology of these plants.

Keywords

• flower colouration
• discriminant analysis
• morphometric parameters
• monitoring
• orchidaceae
• rare species
• specific project