Abstract Detail

Pteridology

Pinson, Jerald [1], Chambers, Sally [2], Sessa, Emily [1].

Biogeography of filmy ferns in eastern North America.

With approximately 434 species, Hymenophyllaceae is one of the largest families of ferns. The family is uniquely adapted to tropical environments, where they can be found worldwide, often growing as epiphytes. Their leaf lamina is generally one cell layer in thickness, making them highly dependent on a constant source of moisture in order to avoid desiccation, and their gametophytes often have vegetatively proliferous morphologies that allow them to compete in dense tropical canopies. Despite their prevalence in the tropics, however, a few species can be found in temperate regions, where they are frequently endemic. Their survival in temperate environments depends on the successful exploitation of microhabitats to which the gametophyte is often more suited than is its sporophyte counterpart, leading to a spatial separation of generations. In this study, we used a combined dataset for the plastid markers rbcL and rps4 to uncover the biogeographic patterns of the nine species of filmy ferns in eastern North America. Preliminary results indicate multiple colonizations of temperate North America from the Neotropics, as well as long distance dispersal from both Europe and Asia.

1 - University of Florida, Bartram 521, 876 Newell Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
2 - Selby Marie Botanical Gardens, 900 South Palm Avenue, Sarasota, FL, 34236, USA

Keywords:
fern
filmy
Appalachians
Gametophyte
endemic.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 32, Pteridology III
Location: 105/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Tuesday, July 24th, 2018
Time: 5:00 PM
Number: 32012
Abstract ID:427
Candidate for Awards:Edgar T. Wherry award