SEROTINY, GEOGRAPHY, AND FIRE IN THE PINE BARRENS OF NEW JERSEY.

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In their study of clinal variation in Pinus rigida, Ledig and Fryer (1972) concluded that gene flow is a primary determinant of local levels of serotiny. In this paper I suggest that selection, rather than gene flow, is more important at most geographic scales. My data indicate that the incidence of serotiny reflects local fire history, and that there are clines in the selective forces favoring serotiny. Hypotheses are advanced to account for geographic patterns of fire frequency in the Pine Barrens; the position of the Pine Plains; and the low levels of serotiny found elsewhere on the northern Coastal Plain.