Project Detail

Evolutionarily conservative and non-conservative elements of plant life history

Name:	Evolutionarily conservative and non-conservative elements of plant life history
Researchers:	Herben Tomáš (researcher)
Provider:	GACR
Realization from:	2004
Realization to:	2006
Summary:	While life history theory has made remarkable advances in analysis of fitness-related traits and tradeoffs, much less is known on evolutionary history of life history traits. Recent advances in phylogeny reconstruction offer a possibility to track evolutionary history of life history traits and to determine to what extent the current plant traits are adaptive or due to evolutionary history. We propose to use this approach in the genus Pericallis (Asteraceae) which shows adaptive radiation in Macaronesia. It undergone speciation at individual islands, with species confined both to individual islands and/or confined to different vegetation types within these islands. This would permit separation of conservative (stable within clades) and non-conservative (consistent within environments) traits. We will establish phylogeny of the group by sequencing of non-coding regions in the plastid DNA; then we will collect complete demographic data in the field, fitness-related traits in culture, and