MRPG: Patterns of Phenotypic and Genetic Variation in Heliconia bihai

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

MELENDEZ ACKERMAN 9904029.The plant Heliconia bihai presents an extraordinary variation in bract color. In the Caribbean islands of St. Lucia and St. Vincent, some populations present one color form while others may present more. As a first step toward characterizing the factors that regulate such variation, Dr. Melendez Ackerman will describe the distribution patterns of bract color. Heliconia bracts presumably help advertise nectar quality to hummingbirds, thereby ensuring flower pollination and subsequently seed production. Some colors could be more abundant than others because they are better at attracting pollinators and producing more seeds. On the other hand, intermediate bract colors may be the product of natural hybridization. Dr. Melendez Ackerman will begin to test these ideas with detailed pollinator observations, records of seed production and genetic data from natural populations.Understanding the factors that lead to or maintain bract color variation in H. bihai will allow predictions about the stability of such variability in natural populations. Because of their colorful bracts, Heliconia are of high commercial value. The results of this research will be of potential use in the design of management plans that target the preservation of variation in this species.