Maike Beyeler (Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg)
Maike Beyeler's Master thesis was awarded with the Prize for the Best Plant Science Master Thesis, which was carried out at Oldenburg University in the year 2025 with the title:
Differentiation of Valeriana officinalis s.l. taxa in Lower Saxony based on their ploidy and morphology
Beyeler was the first to investigate the distribution of valerian (Valeriana officinalis L. s.l.) in Lower Saxony and its genomic and morphological diversity and therefore contributes to the clarifying the controversial taxonomy of the valerian species group.
Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L. s.l.) is a flowering herb native to Eurasia that exhibits enormous intraspecific variability. The species group is currently subdivided into V. excelsa, V. officinalis s.str., and V. pratensis. However, this taxonomic classification is controversial due to strong (regionally different) diversity in ploidy and morphology. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the variability of wild-grown valerian in Lower Saxony, a region with a great diversity of natural habitats and two biogeographical regions. This study examined
- the distribution of valerian taxa in Lower Saxony,
- the ploidy using flow cytometry, and
- the morphology of taxonomically relevant traits.
The results of this study emphasize the enormous genomic and morphological diversity of valerian and the need for future genetic studies to further clarify its taxonomy and conservation needs.
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Maike Beyeler conducted this work at the Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences in the working group of Prof. Dr. Dirk C. Albach.
