"Radiating" plants
Article Abstract:
The biotic landscape of Hawaii presents a number of fascinating examples of adaptive radiation, in which a single ancestral species develops into a wide range of descendant species that are very different in behaviour, form or habitat. The Hawaiian silversword alliance, an endemic lineage in the sunflower family, is a particularly strong example of adaptive radiation in plants, with species in the silversword alliance showing great variation in form and reproductive mode. It is vital to ensure that there are opportunities for the continued adaptive radiation of Hawaii's plant and animal lineages.
Publication Name: Endangered Species Update
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 1081-3705
Year: 1999
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Restoring Mauna Kea's crown jewel
Article Abstract:
A genetic management program is being undertaken for the propagation of Mauna Kea silversword plant species. Two flowering plants have been observed in natural populations in 1997. A large amount of seeds were produced by transferring pollen to and from the plants by hand. Silverswords are considered the crown jewel of Hawaii's indigenous flora. The plants have a rosette of dagger-shaped leaves covered with dense layers of silvery hairs. The rosettes look like jewels along the upper slopes of Mauna Kea especially when water condenses on the leaves.
Publication Name: Endangered Species Update
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 1081-3705
Year: 1998
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
Hawaii's birds and bees
Article Abstract:
Decline in the numbers of the birds and bees that pollinate plants have caused the Hawaiian islands to have more endangered and threatened plant species than any other State. Hawaii is an isolated island ecosystem, and has diverse endemic plant species. Habitat loss, influence of non-native animals, competition from introduced plants, and reduction in endemic pollinators have affected the Hawaiian flora negatively. Management efforts require an in-depth understanding of the reproductive biology of the Hawaiian plants.
Publication Name: Endangered Species Update
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 1081-3705
Year: 1996
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
- Abstracts: Testing density estimators on a fallow deer population of known size
- Abstracts: PERpetuating the PASt. Chromatin remodelling and epigenetic features of germ cells
- Abstracts: NASA head fends off proposal to bring in 'base closure' scheme. US satellite monitoring comes under siege
- Abstracts: Evidence for social facilitation of preening in the common tern. Host choice and success of gulls and terns kleptoparasitizing brown pelicans
- Abstracts: Reproductive behaviour and operational sex ratio in Richardson's ground squirrels. Why do male Cape ground squirrels live in groups?