Salinity tolerance and genetic variability in freshwater and brackish Iris hexagona colonies

Saltwater intrusion is one of the most widespread environmental threats to freshwater wetlands. Iris species worldwide are important members of these plant communities. Wetland irises reproduce clonally and sexually, which permits populations to spread and disperse in benign and stressful conditions. The ability of iris populations to tolerate and adapt to elevated salinity can play an important role in determining the long-term health of wetland ecosystems. •

We used microsatellite markers to evaluate population structure and genetic diversity, and we performed a common garden experiment to examine the effect of salinity on the growth and reproduction of wild Iris hexagona collected from freshwater and brackish wetlands. •

Colonies were genetically distinct, with average to high heterozygosity (0.55-0.66) for a clonal species. Salinity had negative linear effects on leaf mass (g), clonal growth (g), root mass (g), and flower numbers, and it had nonlinear effects on seed numbers and seed mass (mg). The greatest sexual reproduction occurred in the intermediate-salinity (4 parts per thousand) treatment. Flowering phenology was delayed for 5 days in the highest-salinity treatment. •

We hypothesized that irises from brackish habitats would tolerate salinity better than freshwater irises would, but no difference in iris performance existed between the two habitats. The observed salinity tolerance and genetic diversity of I. hexagona indicate that populations will persist despite moderate increases in environmental salinity.