Sexual or clonal origin? A morpho‐ecological and molecular analysis in a patch of Ajuga reptans L. (Lamiaceae)

Abstract

Spatial clonal structure and patch colonisation in Ajuga reptans L. (Lamiaceae), a common stoloniferous semi‐rosette plant, were studied using a combined morpho‐ecological and molecular genetic approach. Within a natural patch from a forest near Diedorf (Thuringia, Germany), the spatial clonal structure was analysed, correlating both datasets: Morphologically, characteristics of clonal growth and clonal reproduction were studied, the spatial distribution of modules was mapped and merigenet relationships were reconstructed. Samples from the patch and its surroundings, and an additional sample from Berlin were then analysed by AFLP fingerprinting using four different primer combinations to identify genets. Most divergence in banding patterns was already obtained for samples from the Diedorf forest. Within the patch, however, most samples had very similar fingerprints, indicating their belonging to the same genet and hence a clonal origin, although they are morphologically separated into three “plants”. Based on AFLP data, the relationships of one sample remained ambiguous; but the correlation with morphological data helped to interpret the pattern and indicated that the sample is probably a dividual of the clone, too. The relevance of the observed vegetative multiplication (clonal growth and subsequent clonal reproduction) for patch colonisation and maintenance are discussed. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)