Short-Term Evolution of Reduced Dispersal in Island Plant Populations

• DOI: 10.2307/2261699
• Publication Date: 2006-06-17T16:57:03Z
• Authors: Martin L. Cody; Jacob McC. Overton
• Keywords: Mainland; Diaspore (botany)

1 Dramatic reductions in dispersal potential are characteristic of many diverse taxa, both plants and animals, on oceanic islands. This paper documents the same trend reduced ability over course just a few generations some weedy, short-lived wind-dispersed inshore islands British Columbia, Canada. 2 We measured dispersal-related morphological characteristics diaspores from island populations known ages, mainland populations. In two three species with sufficiently large sample sizes, older show increasingly relative to or young 3 These other differences consistent results expected strong selection for potential, may be striking examples short-term evolution small isolated natural