Abstract
The Sonchus alliance represents an oceanic island radiation that includes six genera and 31 species of herbs, shrubs, and trees occurring in diverse habitats ranging from cool, upland cloud forests to hot, dry, exposed cliff faces and coastal deserts. To investigate the role of photosynthetic adaptations during radiation into diverse habitats, we measured leaf morphological and physiological traits and relationships among 15 representative species of the woody Sonchus alliance grown under uniform conditions. Correlated evolution was observed between photosynthesis per mass with leaf size and specific leaf area and between photosynthesis per area with dark respiration per area and stomatal conductance. In general, species from exposed habitats exhibited smaller, more dissected leaves with greater photosynthetic rates compared with those of species native to relatively shaded pine and laurel cloud forest. We also observed that sister taxa in contrasting habitats can develop substantially divergent leaf form...
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
