Abstract

Wild lettuces (Lactuca L.) provide valuable genetic resources for crop breeding, but are also significant invasive weeds. We explored the distributions, habitats, and ecological characteristics of populations of wild Lactuca species in central Chile. We documented two species – Lactuca serriola L. (prickly lettuce) and Lactuca virosa L. (opium/bitter lettuce) in 204 localities. These observations indicate that: i) both allochthonous (Euroasian) Lactuca species occur and are able to regenerate in central Chile; ii) L. serriola forms dense populations in urbanized areas; iii) both species can expand along transport corridors to high elevations; iv) the spread of L. virosa and persistence of dense populations in elevations above 2,000 m a.s.l. prove the invasiveness of this species in extreme climates; v) both species may contain novel traits of interest for germplasm conservation.

Details

Title
Distribution and ecology of wild lettuces Lactuca serriola L. and Lactuca virosa L. in central Chile
Author
Lebeda, Aleš 1 ; Křístková, Eva 1 ; Khoury, Colin K 2 ; Carver, Daniel 3 ; Sosa, Chrystian C 4 

 Palacký University in Olomouc, Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, Olomouc, Czech Republic 
 International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT),Cali, Colombia; United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Saint Louis University, Department of Biology, St. Louis, MO, USA 
 United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Laboratory for Genetic Resources Preservation, Fort Collins, CO, USA; Colorado State University, Geospatial Centroid, Fort Collins, CO, USA 
 International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT),Cali, Colombia; Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, Departamento de Ciencias naturales y Matemáticas, Cali, Colombia; Grupo de investigación en Evolución, Ecología y Conservación EECO, Programa de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas y Tecnologías, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia, Colombia 
Pages
173-186
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
De Gruyter Poland
ISSN
15814661
e-ISSN
18549829
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English; Slovenian
ProQuest document ID
2734030853
Copyright
© 2022. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0 (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.