Columnar Cactus Evolution and Ecology

Physiological ecology of seed germination for the columnar cactus Stenocereus queretaroensis

Responses of seed germination to temperature, water potential, time after harvest, and light were investigated for Stenocereus queretaroensis, a columnar cactus native to west central Mexico. Germination was optimal between 201C and 301C, and the germination percentage decreased as the water potential was lowered from 0?00 to 1?0 MPa. Maximal germination of 85% occurred for seeds that were 11 –...

Population Genetic Structure of a Widespread Bat-Pollinated Columnar Cactus

Bats are the main pollinators and seed dispersers of Stenocereus thurberi, a xenogamous columnar cactus of northwestern Mexico and a good model to illustrate spatial dynamics of gene flow in long-lived species. Previous studies in this cactus showed differences among populations in the type and abundance of pollinators, and in the timing of flowering and fruiting. In this study we analyzed gene...

Historical vicariance and postglacial colonization effects on the evolution of genetic structure in Lophocereus, a Sonoran Desert columnar cactus.

Distinguishing the historical effects of gene migration and vicariance on contemporary genetic structure is problematic without testable biogeographic hypotheses based on preexisting geological and environmental evidence. The availability of such hypotheses for North America's Sonoran Desert has contributed to our understanding of the effect of historical vicariance and dispersal events on the ...

Ecology and Evolution Retreat

09:20 Christopher Noto and Ari Grossman Using functional morphology to compare dinosaur ecological diversity Studies of ecological diversity seek to quantify functional groups to understand community structure. Fossil communities represent a special challenge because direct measurement of the once living ecosystem is impossible, and we must rely on indirect methods to infer ecology. Fortunately...

Ecology and Evolution