| Abstract Detail
Ecophysiology Muller, Clare [1], Feder, Zoë [2], Moore, Michael [3], Drenovsky, Rebecca E [4]. The physiology of the gypsophilic lineages of the Chihuahuan Desert. Due to their unique chemistry, soils rich in gypsum (CaSO4·Ã‚ž2H2O) are hotspots for biodiversity. However, their limited and patchy distribution combined with their sensitivity to disturbance makes them areas of conservation concern. Many species of gypsophilic plants are thought to have physiological mechanisms to cope with the unique chemical properties of gypsum soils; however, few studies have investigated this hypothesis for North American species. We studied a suite of plant species growing on and off gypsum soils in the Chihuahuan Desert, comparing their leaf chemical signatures. We sampled leaves of congener or confamilial pairs in Texas and New Mexico to account for the effects of phylogeny in our data. Contrary to initial hypotheses, gypsophiles do not share a common leaf chemical signature among all taxa. Instead, our data indicate that old-lineage gypsophiles (>2 mya) accumulate calcium and sulfur in higher concentrations than closely related non-gypsophilic taxa. In contrast, young-lineage gypsophiles (<2 mya) have leaf chemical signatures more similar to non-gypsophilic taxa. Together, these data suggest age of origin on gypsum influences relative ability to tolerate high calcium and sulfur in leaves, suggesting physiological adaptation to gypsum differs among lineages of different age.
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1 - John Carroll University, Department of Biology, 1 John Carroll Blvd, University Heights, OH, 44118, USA
2 - Oberlin College and Conservatory, 119 Woodland St. , Oberlin, OH, 44074 , USA
3 - Oberlin College, Department of Biology, 119 Woodland St., Oberlin, OH, 44074, USA
4 - John Carroll University, Biology Department, 1 John Carroll Blvd, University Heights, OH, 44118, USA
Keywords:
gypsum
edaphic endemism
Chihuahuan Desert.
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Ecophysiology Poster Session
Location: Exhibit Hall/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 6:15 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PEP012
Abstract ID:759
Candidate for Awards:None |
