Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5170-2428

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biology (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Biological Sciences

Advisor/Mentor

Beaulieu, Jeremy

Committee Member

Ogle, Jennifer

Second Committee Member

Latvis, Manbeth

Keywords

Arisaema; Guard Cells; Herbarium; Morphometrics; Species Complex; Taxonomy

Abstract

The Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott) is an herbaceous perennial herb of North America, and its taxonomic history is full of confusion and rank shifts. Now split into six species, the A. triphyllum species complex consists of morphologically similar taxa that have differing ploidy levels. In Chapter I, I compiled a detailed introduction and history for these taxa, focusing on their taxonomic complexity and morphological ambiguity in herbarium specimens and immature plants. I also presented their ploidy distinctions and how the implications of polyploidy may hold answers to parsing them apart, especially in dried herbarium specimens where defining characteristics are heavily altered by the preservations process. In Chapter II, I further described the biological implications of polyploidy and how their effects can be used in the detection of these taxa. I also investigated the implementation of linear morphometric analyses in conjunction with guard cell length averages, a demonstrated genome size proxy. Guard cell lengths in this species complex form a continuous, unimodal distribution, suggesting that ploidy-level determination cannot be accurately ascertained from guard cell measures alone. Macromorphological analyses demonstrated no clear partitioning into separate classes, further demonstrating that morphology alone cannot be accurately used to partition specimens. When guard cell measures were compiled alongside macromorphological trait measures, the genome size proxy did not greatly influence morphological expression and therefore cannot reliably be used in conjunction with one another to parse specimens. Numerous variables can influence guard cell length and morphological expression and can therefore hinder the resolution power of the techniques used here. To further investigate these taxa, true genome size measures combined with advanced morphometric techniques may be necessary.

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