Dissertation Research: A Systematic Study of Sabal (Arecaceae: Coryphoideae)

Scott Zona先生将在Rancho圣安娜植物园的Sherwin Carlquist博士的监督下，在墨西哥和西印度群岛进行广泛的Sabal棕榈实地采集，以确定物种之间的形态和化学变异模式，并构建关于该群体进化历史的假说。采集大型棕榈树的困难使大多数植物学家不敢研究它们。现代分类学方法，适用于新收集的现场材料，将大大提高我们对这些植物的生物学和进化的理解。新的字符将评估与现代技术的扫描电子显微镜的叶面和花粉，解剖调查叶结构，和植物色素的化学分析。将对种子传播（无论是通过动物还是水流）和授粉（无论是通过棕榈特有的昆虫、通才昆虫还是风）进行观察。提高了分类学的理解。本属的21种将有助于分析加勒比地区物种形成的进化关系和地理学历史。

Mr. Scott Zona, under the supervision of Dr. Sherwin Carlquist of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, will undertake extensive field-collecting of Sabal palms throughout Mexico and the West Indies, to determine patterns of morphological and chemical variability among the species and construct an hypothe- sis about the evolutionary history of the group. Difficulties in collecting large palms have deterred most botanists from studying them. Modern taxonomic methods, applied to newly collected field materials, will improve substantially our understanding of the biology and evolution of these plants. New characters will be assessed with modern techniques of scanning electron microscopy of leaf surfaces and pollen, anatomical investigation of leaf structure, and chemical analysis of plant pigments. Observations will be made of seed dispersal (whether by animals or by water currents) and of pollination (whether by palm-specific insects, by generalist insects, or by wind). Improved taxonomic understanding of the ca. 21 species in this genus will facilitate analysis of evolutionary relationships and of the biogeographic history of speciation in the Caribbean region.