Piecing together the biogeographic history of Chenopodium vulvaria L. using botanical literature and collections
Note that a PrePrint of this article also exists, first published October 13, 2014.
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Abstract
This study demonstrates the value of legacy literature and historic collections as a source of data on environmental history. Chenopodium vulvaria
L. has declined in northern Europe and is of conservation concern in
several countries, whereas in other countries outside Europe it has
naturalised and is considered an alien weed. In its European range it is
considered native in the south, but the northern boundary of its native
range is unknown. It is hypothesised that much of its former
distribution in northern Europe was the result of repeated introductions
from southern Europe and that its decline in northern Europe is the
result of habitat change and a reduction in the number of propagules
imported to the north. A historical analysis of its ecology and
distribution was conducted by mining legacy literature and historical
botanical collections. Text analysis of habitat descriptions written on
specimens and published in botanical literature covering a period of
more than 200 years indicate that the habitat and introduction pathways
of C. vulvaria have changed with time. Using the non-European
naturalised range in a climate niche model, it is possible to project
the range in Europe. By comparing this predicted model with a similar
model created from all observations, it is clear that there is a large
discrepancy between the realized and predicted distributions. This is
discussed together with the social, technological and economic changes
that have occurred in northern Europe, with respect to their influence
on C. vulvaria.
Cite this as
(2015) Piecing together the biogeographic history of Chenopodium vulvaria L. using botanical literature and collections. PeerJ 3:e723 https://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.723
