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EVOLUTIONARY AND GEOGRAPHIC TRENDS IN ADAPTIVE WOOD ANATOMY IN ERIASTRUM DENSIFOLIUM (POLEMONIACEAE) |
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| Authors: | Robert Patterson Barry D. Tanowitz |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, 94132 Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106;2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106 |
| Abstract: | Anatomical features of Eriastrum densifolium populations in southern California show variation that correlates well with ecological setting and geographical distribution. Vessel element size and density in shoots suggest strong adaptation among different subspecies to efficient water movement in different habitats. Indices of mesomorphy, devised by Carlquist to indicate relative adaptivity of wood, likewise show considerable variation among populations, suggesting that different subspecies have anatomical components that can define them. Relationships among the five subspecies of E. densifolium may be explored through MI value relationships. |
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