Abstract Detail

Systematics Section/ASPT

Jolles, Diana [1], Moore, Christopher M. [2].

Evaluating the effects of dispersal and hybridization on phylogeography of southern Californian Arctostaphylos (Arbutoideae: Ericaceae).

Phylogenetic relationships among species of Arctostaphylos are somewhat elusive due in part to high levels of intraspecific morphological polymorphism, narrow endemism in many taxa, and rampant hybridization among widespread, sympatric taxa. The taxonomy of Arctostaphylos includes nearly as many subspecies as species, comprising about 100 taxa that often must be identified on the basis of geographic location (often a proxy for geologic substrate) rather than by morphological characters alone. One obvious difficulty with this identification system is that it is truly static; it cannot accommodate gene flow or species dispersal into new habitats (i.e., range expansion or shift). In this study, a phylogeny of southern Californian Arctostaphylos was tested and a new phylogenetic estimate was developed using two nuclear and two plastid genetic loci that have not been employed previously. The evolution of fruit and seed characters was investigated in light of the new hypothesis of relationships using character optimization. While some subsectional affiliations are not supported by either of the divergent nuclear and plastid phylogeny estimates,we do find some Arctostaphylos species to be monophyletic. Here, we discuss the taxonomic utility of morphological characters traditionally used to delimit taxa in Arctostaphylos, but we also discuss the interesting implications of fruit and seed morphology and frugivory on the dispersal and evolution of species in this genus.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont Graduate University, 1500 North College Avenue, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA
2 - University of Nevada, Reno, Department of Biology, Fleishman Agriculture Building 142, Reno, NV, 89557, USA

Keywords:
Arctostaphylos
Ericaceae
frugivory
morphology
Molecular phylogeny.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 53
Location: Delaware C/Hyatt
Date: Wednesday, July 11th, 2012
Time: 3:45 PM
Number: 53009
Abstract ID:721