Vetrova V.P., Barkalov V. Yu., Sinelnikova N.V., Barchenkov A.P.
Botanicheskii zhurnal 2018; 103(12): 1565-1587
The taxonomic status of larches from Shikotan Island and Kamchatka Peninsula was studied based on the cone scales morphology; and their relationships with Larix cajanderi and L. gmelinii from continental regions were analyzed. The cones of L. cajanderi were collected in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutiya) and in the Magadan Region, and the cones of L. gmelinii in Evenkia and the Transbaikal region. The patterns of shape variation of cone scales were studied using methods of geometric morphometrics. The larch populations were compared by relative warps of cone scales defined by the Principal Components Analysis (PCA) of partial warp scores. The comparison of the Kurilian, Kamchatka and Yakutsk-Magadan populations was additionally carried out based on the scale morphotypes. L. kurilensis is significantly differentiated in the shape of cone scales from L. cajanderi and L. gmelinii, as well as from Kamchatka larch populations, and it may represent a taxon of the species rank. Our data confirm the hybrid genesis of the larch populations from Kamchatka and their relationships with L. kurilensis and the Upper Kolyma populations of L. cajanderi. The Kamchatka larch populations should probably be regarded as a hybrid taxon of L. cajanderi × L. kurilensis. Morphological differences between the Kurilian and Kamchatka larches are consistent with the data of genetic research.
