Structure of Ecologo-Climatic Niches of Poa palustris L. and P. nemoralis L. (Роасеае) in Asian Russia

Abstract

In addition to a specific morphotype, each species has a unique ecologo-climatic niche and a geographical area. The study of ecologo-climatic and geographical divergence may significantly contribute to the comprehension of species genesis and amount. The aim of this work is to compare ecologo-climatic niches of Poa palustris L., P. nemoralis L., and populations combining the features of both species (assigned in this work to the hybridogenic complex of P. intricata Wien), as well as reveal their identity. As a result of these researches, the areas of the both species were verified. The ecologo-climatic niches were determined with the use of GIS technologies and on the basis of their coordinates. Then potential areas of species—the regions where climatic conditions are favorable for their growth—were determined on the basis of six independent bioclimatic variables. A comparison of the ecologo-climatic niches calculated by MaxEnt software has shown that their distinctions are statistically significant.