0000000000073978
AUTHOR
Miquel À. Conesa
Who threatens who? Natural hybridization between Lotus dorycnium and the island endemic Lotus fulgurans (Fabaceae)
In contrast to its creative role in plant evolution, hybridization may be a cause for concern in efforts to preserve rare and endangered species. Threats can be more acute when population sizes are unequal and when barriers to introgression are weak. Lotus fulgurans is an endangered Balearic Islands endemic shrub related to the widespread Mediterranean species Lotus dorycnium. Both species are morphologically distinct when they grow together. However, morphologically intermediate individuals have been observed on the island of Minorca, in a single, narrowly localized, and apparently stable hybrid zone. Morphological and molecular markers suggest that gene flow between these two Lotus specie…
Stomatal anatomy coordinates leaf size with Rubisco kinetics in the Balearic Limonium
Abstract Trait integration arises through both selection on functional coordination and shared developmental pathways. Different anatomical components must both work well and develop together to generate individuals with the appropriate physiology to survive and reproduce in their environment. In this study, we used a common garden experiment and Bayesian multilevel models to test whether stomatal anatomy coordinates leaf gas exchange, Rubisco kinetics, and leaf size across 10 closely related species of Limonium from the Balearic Islands. The results indicate that the anatomical determinants of maximum stomatal conductance, stomatal density and size, were functionally coordinated with Rubis…
Leaf shape variation and taxonomic boundaries in two sympatric rupicolous species of Helichrysum (Asteraceae: Gnaphalieae), assessed by linear measurements and geometric morphometry
Quantifying and understanding the causes of population differentiation in plants are critical for assessing the taxonomic structure of species, as the level of differentiation among populations may correspond to incipient speciation. Using linear and geometric morphometric approaches, phenotypic variation and associations between leaf traits and geographic and environmental characteristics were investigated in Helichrysum crassifolium and the widespread and sympatric Helichrysum pendulum: two species exhibiting conspicuous leaf variation in size and shape. The morphometric results show that both species have distinct patterns of leaf shape variation. However, overlapping values link the ran…