| Abstract Detail
Ecological Section Prunier, Rachel [1], Holsinger, Kent E. [2], Jones, Cynthia S. [3], Schlichting, Carl [2]. Pelargonium community assembly in South Africa: The influence of phylogeny, morphology, and climate. The genus Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) is exceptionally diverse, with almost 300 species worldwide. Eighty percent of these species are endemic to southwestern Africa, where they inhabit a range of biomes, from subtropical thicket, to seasonally moist fynbos, to arid karoo. Many body plans have evolved in the genus, including geophytes, stem succulents, and woody shrubs. Pelargonium assemblages in the region typically contain multiple species, encompassing a range of body plans, at both regional and local scales. We explore Pelargonium community assembly at both of these scales:
1) Are species that co-occur in a geographically dispersed sample of 10x10 meter plots phylogenetically over-dispersed, under-dispersed or randomly assembled?
2) Is phylogenetic or phenotypic distance associated with the physical distance between Pelargonium individuals within plots? If so, which factor shows the stronger association?
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1 - University of Connecticut, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 75 N. Eagleville Rd., U-3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
2 - University of Connecticut, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 75 North Eagleville Road, U-3043, Storrs, Connecticut, 062693043, USA
3 - University of Connecticut, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
Keywords:
Pelargonium
community assembly
phylogenetics
spatial patterns.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 30
Location: 212/SUB
Date: Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
Time: 9:15 AM
Number: 30006
Abstract ID:524 |
