Blowing in the wind

Author:

Sleeper, Barbara

Title:

Blowing in the wind

Periodical:

Pacific Discovery

Year:

1995

Volume:

48

Pages:

12-13

Subject:

Silverswords Argyroxiphium sandwicense Genetic variation Wind effects

Summary:

This document discusses the ways in which flora and fauna came to Hawaii and how the similarities between Hawaii's silversword plants and California's 19 species of scrubby tarweeds led plant systematists from California and a plant geneticist from Hawaii to believe that the two plants might be related. This kinship was confirmed through the use of molecular biology when a Hawaiian silversword specimen was successfully crossed with the California tarweeds species that produced healthy hybrids. This suggested that all existing Hawaiian silversword species may have evolved from a single seed that established itself on one island. Following several theories on how one seed traveled nearly 2500 miles across an ocean to found and entire dynasty of plants, this study emphasized the need to preserve all species of plants and lead scientists to believe that a threatened species may not be lead to an evolutionary dead end as believed.

Label:

Silverswords

Date:

1995

Collection:

Periodicals