Creationism in Crisis - A Rare Orchid Hiding in Plain Sight, And Scientists Work Out Its Evolution

Creationism in Crisis

A Rare Orchid Hiding in Plain Sight, And Scientists Work Out Its Evolution

Creationism in Crisis

A Rare Orchid Hiding in Plain Sight, And Scientists Work Out Its Evolution

Creationism in Crisis

A Rare Orchid Hiding in Plain Sight, And Scientists Work Out Its Evolution

Creationism in Crisis

A Rare Orchid Hiding in Plain Sight, And Scientists Work Out Its Evolution

Creationism in Crisis

A Rare Orchid Hiding in Plain Sight, And Scientists Work Out Its Evolution

An elegant new orchid hiding in plain sight | Research at Kobe

Figure 1. A new orchid species Spiranthes hachijoensis with beautiful glasswork-like flowers found in a private garden.
(A) Inflorescence. (B) Close up of inflorescence. (C) Flower. Scale bars: 10 mm (A & B) and 5 mm (C) in the Tokyo Prefecture..

Photographs: Masayuki Ishibashi (A & C) and Kenji Suetsugu (B).

Science is always open to new information but it's not often to be found hiding in plain sight, like this newly-discovered species of orchid. It was discovered by scientists from Kobe University, Japan, growing in private gardens, parks and even lawns and on balconies, on the Japanese island of Hachijo in the Tokyo Prefecture. It has since been named Spiranthes hachijoensis.

The search suggests there may be other undiscovered, related species growing in familiar places but overlooked because of the way they have speciates from a common ancestor. In the case of S. hachijoensis speciation probably occurred due to reproductive isolation because it flowers a month earlier than the related taxon it grows alongside. As the Kobe University news release explains, the genus Spiranthes on the Japanese mainland was once considered to be a single species, S. australis, but closer examination has revealed that there are several distinct species within the genus and there may well be more:

Figure 2. The phylogenetic tree (= a ‘family tree’ of the evolutionary history of a group of organisms) for Spiranthes hachijoensis and its closely related species.
The genetic difference between S. hachijoensis and its closest relative is comparable to, or even greater than, the genetic difference between pairs of other Spiranthes species

The genus Spiranthes encompasses a captivating and gorgeous variety of orchids, which exhibit an array of distinctive morphological traits. The flowers are typically small and white or pinkish, and arranged in a spiral around a central stalk, hence the moniker "ladies' tresses." Spiranthes is the most familiar orchid in Japan and has been cherished for centuries, even appearing in the Manyoshu, Japan’s oldest extant anthology of poetry. For a long time, it was believed that the Spiranthes on the Japanese mainland constituted a single species: Spiranthes australis. However, while conducting extensive field surveys focused on Japanese Spiranthes specimens, Suetsugu came across several populations of an unknown Spiranthes taxon with hairless flower stems, on the mainland of Japan (Fig. 1). The unknown taxon often grows alongside S. australis but blooms about a month earlier, thus leading to reproductive isolation between the two taxa. Given that S. australis is characterized by a hairy flower stem, the hairless individuals may represent an overlooked species. Consequently, Suetsugu and his colleagues embarked on a comprehensive and multifaceted ten-year study to determine precisely how these plants differed. Specimens were collected from various locations in Japan, Taiwan, and Laos.

By integrating results from DNA analysis, morphology, field observations, and reproductive biology, Suetsugu and his associates discovered that it is a cryptic species that exhibits a high level of molecular divergence, albeit with minimal morphological differentiation (Fig. 2). The fact that the "common" Spiranthes is actually divided into two species is likely to pique the curiosity of the general public. The discovery of a new flowering plant species in Japan is considered an extraordinarily rare event since the flora of this region has been extensively researched. However, the new species reported here can even be found growing in commonplace environments such as parks and lawns. Some specimens used to describe this new species were collected from private gardens and balconies. This discovery of new species concealed in common locales underscores the necessity of persistent exploration, even in seemingly unremarkable settings!

Copyright: © 2023 The authors.
Published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Open access. (CC BY 4.0)

The team's findings are published, open access in the Journal of Plant Research.

Abstract

The systematics of the Old World Spiranthes sinensis (Pers.) Ames species complex (Orchidaceae) has been complicated by its wide distribution and morphological variations. Within the species complex, S. australis Lindl. has been generally accepted as the only Spiranthes Rich. species distributed on the Japanese mainland. The present study provides morphological, phylogenetic, and ecological evidence for the recognition of S. hachijoensis Suetsugu as a new species of the S. sinensis species complex on the Japanese mainland. Spiranthes hachijoensis is morphologically similar to S. hongkongensis S.Y. Hu & Barretto and S. nivea T.P. Lin & W.M. Lin, sharing a degenerated rostellum, pollinia without a viscidium, and distinctly trilobed stigma. However, the taxon can be morphologically distinguished from S. hongkongensis by its glabrous rachis, ovaries, and sepals, and from S. nivea by its papillate labellum disc, larger papillate basal labellum callosities, and glabrous rachis, ovaries, and sepals. The autogamy and flowering phenology (i.e., earlier flowering) of S. hachijoensis are most likely responsible for premating isolation from the sympatric S. australis. A MIG-seq-based high-throughput molecular analysis indicated that the genetic difference between S. hachijoensis and its putative sister species S. sinensis is comparable to, or even greater than, the genetic difference between pairs of other species within the S. sinensis species complex. Our multifaceted approach strongly supports the recognition of S. hachijoensis as a morphologically, phenologically, phylogenetically, and ecologically distinct species.

Suetsugu, K., Hirota, S.K., Hayakawa, H. et al.
Spiranthes hachijoensis (Orchidaceae), a new species within the S. sinensis species complex in Japan, based on morphological, phylogenetic, and ecological evidence.
J Plant Res (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s10265-023-01448-6

Copyright: © 2023 The authors.
Published by Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Open access
Reprinted under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0)

Points to note, especially for Creationists who, if they had the courage to read this far, will be chanting their usual mantra "But it's still an orchid!":

1. The scientists are in no doubt that the Theory of Evolution provides an explanation for the observed facts, and suggest at least one mechanism - genetic isolation by different flowering times.
2. Although the new species is genetically distinct from its putative sister species, the morphological differences are not great - which is why they were previously regarded as the same species. Evolution at the genetic level need not result in major phenotypic change. In this example, genetic isolation by timing of flowering caused speciation without environmental selectors playing a major part.

It would be really good is a Creationists would explain whether, in view of the genetic differences and the failure to interbreed, the new orchid should be regarded as a new 'kind' of orchid or is still the same 'kind' as its sister species.

I won't hold my breath.

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Thank you for sharing!

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