Abstract
Life-history traits (onset of flowering, leaf number, rosette diameter, plant height, branching number, fruit dimensions, seed number) of Capsella species from the Iberian Peninsula associated with colotuzing ability were compared in a random block field experiment. Data were evaluated by a principal component analysis. Allozymes (AAT, LAP, GDH) and leaf types were recorded. C. bursa-pastoris plants originating from low and high elevations of the summer dry Mediterranean climatic zone (Sierra Nevada) were early flowering, whereas those originating from the Pyrenees with an alpine climate were late. In C. bursa-pastoris the rhomboidea leaf type was very frequent, whereas in C. rubella it was the heteris leaf type. There was a change of leaf type frequencies along geographical clines which is explained by adaptive components of the leaf shape. The allozymes displayed a geographical distribuuon pattem and in C. bursa-pastoris a certain multilocus genotype appeared to be a molecular marker for an early flowering ecotype
Highlights
Colonizing species have received considerable attention during the past decades (BAKER, 1965; CLEGG & BROWN, 1983; BARRETT & RICHARDSON, 1986), and they share a number of common genetic features often including polyploidy (BROWN & MARSHALL, 1981)
One population was homogenous with only one exception, other populations were variable in most characters
The greater flexibility of C. bursa-pastoris compared to C. rubella was reflected by a diverse array of flowering ecotypes: Early flowering types in the summerdry and hot Mediterranean climate in the South of Spain, and late flowering types in the alpine climate of the Pyrenees
Summary
Colonizing species have received considerable attention during the past decades (BAKER, 1965; CLEGG & BROWN, 1983; BARRETT & RICHARDSON, 1986), and they share a number of common genetic features often including polyploidy (BROWN & MARSHALL, 1981). Their adaptation may be due to a "general purpose genotype" of high phenotypic plasticity (BAKER, 1965) or pronounced ecotypic variation. Ecotypic variation patterns have been demonstrated for growth form parameters
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