A new ancestral diploid species of echinocereus endemic to southwestern utah and northern arizona

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Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Social & Behavioral Science
Department Geography
Author Wellard, Blake H.
Title A new ancestral diploid species of echinocereus endemic to southwestern utah and northern arizona
Date 2017
Description Echinocereus relictus B. Wellard is a newly described diploid (2n=22) species that is the presumed ancestor of the tetraploid (2n=44) E. engelmaniii. Echinocereus engelmannii subsp. engelmannii represents both diploid and tetraploid cytotypes. Diploid individuals are endemic to a narrow section of southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona and have noted similarity with the formerly endangered E. engelmannii var. purpureus. The distributional range of the diploid and tetraploid plants was mapped using cytogeography. Morphological data collected from ten populations (5 diploid, 5 tetraploid) were correlated with ploidy and analyzed using discriminant function analysis. The cytogeographic and discriminant function analysis results support the distinction of the diploid as new species which is a likely ancestor to the widely distributed tetraploid Echinocereus engelmannii subsp. engelmannii. E. relictus (syn. E. engelmannii var. purpureus) occurs in a rapidly expanding urban area, and its conservation status needs to be evaluated.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Cactaceae; Caryophyllales; Conservation; Diploid; Echinocereus; Morphomertics
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management ©Blake H. Wellard
Format Medium application/pdf
ARK ark:/87278/s642129p
Setname ir_etd
ID 1345249
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s642129p