New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

---

Morphological and genetic variation within Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae) on Hawai’i

Shelley A. James
Christopher F. Puttock

Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity
Bishop Museum
Honolulu, Hawai‘i, USA
Email: sajames@bishopmuseum.org

Susan Cordell

USDA Forest Service
Hilo, Hawai‘i, USA

Robert P. Adams

Biology Department
Baylor University
Waco, Texas, USA

Abstract  The highly polymorphic taxon Metrosideros polymorpha (‘ohi‘a) is the most abundant endemic tree in Hawai‘i, occupying a wide but fragmented range of habitats across Federal, State, and privately managed lands. Morphological character states of 342 herbarium specimens from the island of Hawai’i distributed the five recognised varieties in ordinal space, but intermediate phenotypes were prevalent. Morphological and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses were undertaken for 10 individuals at 3 sites on Hawai’i. Individuals at a high-elevation dry site and mid-elevation dry site had smaller, pubescent leaves with a higher leaf mass per area and nitrogen content than individuals at a moist mid-elevation site. While the populations were separated in ordinal space, taxonomic varieties overlapped. The high degree of overlap between the taxonomic varieties, based on genetic and morphological characteristics, does not support the current varietal subdivision of Metrosideros polymorpha on Hawai’i.

Keywords  RAPDs; pubescence; phenotypic plasticity; ecophysiology; Metrosideros polymorpha; Myrtaceae; Hawai’i

B03028; Received 5 August 2003; accepted 24 December 2003; Online publication date 3 June 2004
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2004, Vol. 42: 263-270
0028-825X/04/4202-0263 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2004

PDF file of entire paper: Print-quality (252K) | screen-quality (194K)

---

This year's abstracts | Journal home page | All abstracts | Publishing home page