Abstract Detail
Geology and Plant Life: the growing legacy of Arthur Kruckeberg Ivalú Cacho, Natalia [1]. Evolutionary ecology of edaphic specialization in California Jewelflowers. Plants associated with peculiar soils, or how Art would call them, ‘kooky’ soils, contribute greatly to global diversity. Art Kruckeberg’s legacy lays the foundation for studying the eco-evolutionary forces responsible for generating diversity, which are still poorly understood.
I present progress in our understanding of California Jewelflowers as a model to study edaphic endemism. California Jewelflowers (Streptanthus and allied genera) are mustards long recognized as an “extraordinary example of adaptive radiation and edaphic specialization” because of their morphological and ecological diversity in connection to edaphic endemism: about 30% of species are endemic to serpentine soils.
I will address hypotheses on the evolutionary ecology of edaphic specialization integrating aspects of soil chemistry, habitat characterization, niche evolution and biogeography, using a molecular phylogenetic framework. I will then expand on the role of competition and competitive ability in promoting soil endemism, and its relation with aspects of microhabitat and defense against enemies. In particular, I will explore how the ability of a species to compete with its neighbors relates to the bareness of its microhabitat, and whether there are tradeoffs between competitive ability and chemical defense that could further contribute to ecological specialization.
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1 - Instituto de Biología-UNAM, Mexico City, DF, Mexico
Keywords:
adaptation
serpentine
Streptanthus
Thelypodieae
soil endemism
phylogeny
comparative method.
Presentation Type: Symposium Presentation
Session: SY4, Geology and plant life: the growing legacy of Arthur Kruckeberg
Location: Fort Worth Ballroom 5/Omni Hotel
Date: Tuesday, June 27th, 2017
Time: 2:45 PM
Number: SY4005
Abstract ID:223
Candidate for Awards:None | 
