| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section/ASPT Frawley, Emma [1], Jordon-Thaden, Ingrid [2], Martine, Rachel F. [1], Martine, Chris [2]. Celebrating difference: Morphological comparison between a narrowly-endemic Australian species (Solanum eburneum) and a locally-recognized variant. The monsoon tropics of northern Australia are home to many endemic species, including numerous spiny solanums (Solanum subgenus Leptostemonum). Solanum eburneum is an andromonoecious species restricted to clayey soils in the vicinity of the East Baines River, Northern Territory, with a range largely encompassed within Judbarra/Gregory National Park. For at least 30 years, regional botanists have recognized a subpopulation of S. eburneum as S. ‘bullita’ but no formal comparison between it and typical S. eburneum has been done. The current study represents the first rigorous morphological comparison between the two taxa using data garnered from seedlings through mature plants, including measurements of vegetative, floral, and fruiting characteristics. Using plants grown from wild-collected seeds, morphological analyses are combined with molecular phylogenetic comparisons, crossing experiments, and field observations to establish the distinctive nature of S. ‘bullita.’ The implications of recognizing the new taxon are explored, including potential effects on the conservation status of S. eburneum.
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1 - Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, 17837, USA
2 - Bucknell University, Biological Sciences, 203 Biology Building, Lewisburg, PA, 17837, USA, 570/577-1135
Keywords:
Solanum
Australia
undergraduate research
new species
andromonoecy.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: P
Location: Hall D/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Monday, July 27th, 2015
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PSY036
Abstract ID:629
Candidate for Awards:None |
