| Abstract Detail
The power of two: Marrying phylogeny and biogeography to reconstruct the evolutionary history of pteridophytes Geiger, Jennifer M. O. [1], Ranker, Tom A. [2], Ramp, Jennifer M. [2]. The origins and biogeography of Hawaiian Ferns. We are conducting a phylofloristic investigation of the geographical origins of the fern flora of the Hawaiian Islands through the application of molecular phylogenetics. Groups that we are presently studying include Asplenium & Diellia (Aspleniaceae), Hypolepis (Dennstaedtiaceae), Dryopteris & Nothoperanema (Dryopteridaceae), Cibotium (Dicksoniaceae), Diplopterygium (Gleicheniaceae), and Adenophorus, Grammitis, & Lellingeria (Grammitidaceae). For each group we have developed explicit, testable hypotheses of their historical biogeography based on pre-existing ideas and/or on our preliminary data. By comparing the results across groups, we are testing the broad hypothesis that diverse, unrelated lineages share common pathways of dispersal to the Hawaiian Islands. Preliminary results from several groups suggest that the jetstream serves as a major vehicle of spore dispersal from the Indo-Pacific region. Our results have important implications for the origins of all wind-dispersed groups of organisms in Hawaii and for the processes of community assembly.
1 - Caroll College, Department of Natural Science, 1601 North Benton Ave., Helena, Montana, 59625, USA 2 - University of Colorado, University Museum & Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 265 UCB, Boulder, Colorado, 80309-0265, USA
Keywords: Hawai'i ferns biogeography wind dispersal Pacific phylogenetics.
Presentation Type: Symposium Session: 34-3 Location: Ballroom 1 (Cliff Lodge) Date: Tuesday, August 3rd, 2004 Time: 3:15 PM Abstract ID:332 |