Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 15:51:35 From: Bill Tribe <wrt20@cam.ac.uk> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3447$foo@default> Subject: Sarracenia evolution
Accepting the absence of the fossil record, I was just wondering if
anyone had ever done any research, or simply just speculated on, the
evolution of the genus Sarracenia. I'm not too bothered about the possible
evolutionary pathways between Sarracenia and Heliamphora or Darlingtonia -
interesting though these may be - but rather within the genus itself.
Specifically, I started wondering about this because of the existence of
a few species in the mountainous regions, whereas the majority exist on the
coastal plains. So then I asked which came first; i.e. if we are looking
at, say, S. oreophila, is it likely that this was an evolutionary ancestor
of S. flava - with a migration from the mountains - or the other way round.
These sort of questions might find clues in the age of the mountain ranges
compared with "estimates" of the evolutionary timescale of the plants,
numbers which I haven't the slightest idea of.
Anyone got any ideas or sources?
Bill Tribe
Cambridge, UK.
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