Abstract Detail

Systematics Section / ASPT

Cellinese, Nico [2], Edwards, Erika [3], Kim, Sang-Tae [3], Donoghue, Michael J. [3], Jansen, Robert K. [1], Eddie, William M. M. [5], Lee, Tammy [1], Dang, Ashley [1], Cortes-Burns, Helen [1], Raubeson, Linda [4], Oestreich, Andrea [4].

Relationships and origins of the Cretan Campanulaceae: evidences from matK and rbcL data.

The Cretan area, comprised of Crete, Karpathos, Kasos, and Saria, is a small archipelago in the south Aegean region, and the most south-easterly floristic territory defined in the Flora Europaea. The island of Crete was once part of an Aegean landmass and it represents the remnant of an old mountain system that connected the Balkans to southern Turkey. Crete became isolated during the Upper Miocene, but the Mediterranean Sea dried up repeatedly, creating temporary bridges that allowed migration of biota across adjacent landmasses. During the Pliocene Crete became isolated for the last time, initially with the present mountain areas as islands. Later, during the Pleistocene the sea level subsided for the last time allowing the present island of Crete to rise. The flora of Crete reveals elements among the widespread and endemic taxa that supports links to Europe, Asia Minor, and northern Africa. The Campanulaceae in the Cretan area comprise 21 species, 12 of which are endemics. These plants are confined to calcareous rock crevices, steep slopes, cliffs and old walls, and their elevational distribution ranges from 0 – 2300 m. Some endemics are restricted to west, central or eastern localities: e.g. Campanula hierapetrae, is confined to eastern Crete, whose peaks were once isolated islands. Preliminary analyses based on chloroplast genes matK and rbcL show that all Cretan taxa fall within the Campanuloid clade, and are scattered between the Campanula sensu strictu and the Rapunculus groups. The Cretan Campanulaceae clearly do not form a monophyletic lineage and no pattern emerges in the distribution of the endemics across the tree. These taxa might represent the remnants of a vicariance event that impacted a number or separate lineages and/or the product of multiple dispersal events that occurred after isolation. Both scenarios will be discussed.

1 - University of Texas at Austin, Section of Integrative Biology, 1 Universiy Station, #A6700, Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
2 - Yale University, Peabody Museum of Natural History, Botany Division, 170 Whitney Ave, P.O. Box 208118, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520-8118, USA
3 - Yale University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, P.O. Box 208105, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520-8105, USA
4 - Central Washington University, Department of Biological Sciences, MS 7537, Ellensburg, Washington, 98926-7537, USA
5 - University of Edinburgh, Office of Lifelong Learning, 11 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, , U.K.

Keywords:
Cretan Campanulaceae
biogeography
Cretan area
chloroplast DNA.

Presentation Type: Paper
Session: 43-1
Location: Cottonwood A (Snowbird Center)
Date: Wednesday, August 4th, 2004
Time: 8:00 AM
Abstract ID:393