Progressive island colonization and ancient origin of Hawaiian Metrosideros (Myrtaceae).

ABSTRACT: Knowledge of the evolutionary history of plants that are ecologically dominant in modern ecosystems is critical to understanding the historical development of those ecosystems. Metrosideros is a plant genus found in many ecological and altitudinal zones throughout the Pacific. In the Hawaiian Islands, Metrosideros polymorpha is an ecologically dominant species and is also highly polymorphic in both growth form and ecology. Using 10 non-coding chloroplast regions, we investigated haplotype diversity in the five currently recognized Hawaiian Metrosideros species and an established out-group, Metrosideros collina, from French Polynesia. Multiple haplotype groups were found, but these did not match morphological delimitations. Alternative morphologies sharing the same haplotype, as well as sim

SUBMITTER: Percy DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2602662 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature