Nutritional differentiation within the species Dittrichia viscosa W. Greuter, between a population from a calcareous habitat and another from an acidic habitat

Summary

Dittrichia viscosa is a Mediterranean bush widespread on various soil types. It is shown that the plants from a calcareous habitat (G plants) and those from an acidic habitat (M plants) differ in their ability to accumulate various cations when growing in the same experimental conditions. On this acidic soil the G plants accumulate more Ca and less K than the M plants. On a calcareous soil the response is reversed; it is the M plants which contain more Ca and often less K. This behaviour on each of the soils is typically that of a calcifuge for M and a calcicole for G. The two types of plants also differ in their affinity for Mg and Na. The ubiquity of the species could well be explained at least partially by genetic differentiation in the ability of plants to select ions.