Abstract Detail

Biology of Isoetales, a colloquium in honor of Dr. W. Carl Taylor

Freund, Forrest [1], Rothfels, Carl J. [1].

Isoëtes of the west coast states: undescribed diversity in a biodiversity hotspot.

The California Floristic Province, and North America’s west coast by extension, is one of the world's 33 biodiversity hotspots. While it is well established that the region is home to both wide ranging species and narrow range endemics, most of the taxonomic research in the region has focused on flowering plants. Yet, the region is also home to a variety of non-flowering taxa. These taxa, despite receiving less attention than other elements of the flora, have been subject to the same evolutionary pressures as the flowering plants, and should show the same level of diversity if those processes function across lineages. One such lineage is the cryptic lycophyte genus Isoëtes. Since the early 1920s, the taxonomy of west coast Isoëtes has been relatively stable, but has also not received as much attention as Isoëtes from other parts of the world. I have discovered that there may be greater species diversity in the region than has been previously recognized, both in the form of cryptic taxa, and undescribed polyploids. In this talk, I will present some of my preliminary evidence for this undescribed diversity in the west coast states.

1 - University of California, Berkeley, Integrative Biology, 1001 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

Keywords:
cryptic taxa
alloployploidy
Isoëtes
ring species
west coast.

Presentation Type: Colloquium Presentations
Session: C05, Biology of Isoetales, a colloquium in honor of W. Carl Taylor
Location: 101/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
Time: 10:30 AM
Number: C05009
Abstract ID:487
Candidate for Awards:None