Extensive hybridization in Ranunculus section Batrachium (Ranunculaceae) in rivers of two postglacial landscapes of East Europe

We demonstrate a wide distribution and abundance of hybrids between the river species Ranunculus aquatilis, R. fluitans and R. kauffmannii with the still water species R. circinatus (Batrachium, Ranunculaceae) in rivers of two postglacial landscapes of East Europe, i.e., Lithuania and Central European Russia. The Batrachium species and hybrid diversity is higher in the rivers of Lithuania (4 species and 3 hybrids vs. 2 and 1) and represented mainly by western R. aquatilis, R. fluitans and their hybrids whereas in Central European Russia, the East European species R. kauffmannii and its hybrid are the only dominant forms. Hybrids make up about 3/4 of the studied individuals found in 3/4 of the studied river localities in Lithuania and 1/3 of the individuals found in 1/3 of the localities in Central European Russia. Such extensive hybridization in river Batrachium may have arisen due to the specificity of rivers as open-type ecosystems. It may have been intensified by the transformation of river ecosystems by human activities and the postglacial character of the studied landscapes combined with ongoing climate change. Almost all hybrids of R. aquatilis, R. fluitans and R. kauffmannii originated from unidirectional crossings in which R. circinatus acted as a pollen donor. Such crossings could be driven by higher frequency and abundance of R. circinatus populations as well as by some biological mechanisms. Two hybrids, R. circinatus × R. fluitans and R. circinatus × R. kauffmannii, were formally described as R. × redundans and R. × absconditus. We found a hybrid which most likely originated from additional crossing between R. aquatilis and R. circinatus × R. fluitans