Geographic variation in a widespread perennial weed, Rumex crispus. The relative amounts of genetic and environmentally induced variation among populations

Abstract

Populations of Rumex crispus were sampled from eastern North America and Europe. The relative amounts of genetic variation and plasticity were examined, using 58 plant characters. About 61% of the total variation occurring in the experimental plants was accounted for by plasticity. The remaining 26% and 13% occurred within populations and among widespread populations, respectively. At the local level, there was little difference between variation occurring within genotypes and that within families (between maternal siblings). This suggests that the species is predominantly inbreeding. The majority of genetic variation occurs within populations at both the local and species' range levels.It was concluded that the species has large amounts of both flexibility and genetic heterogeneity. This adaptive strategy enables the species to survive under a very wide range of environmental situations and largely accounts for its becoming one of the most widely distributed plants in the world.