ISHS Acta Horticulturae 615: IV International Conifer Conference
THE SOUTHERN PINES DURING THE PLEISTOCENE |
| Author: | R.C. Schmidtling |
| Keywords: | Australes pines, loblolly pine, longleaf pine, Pinus echinata, Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, Pinus taeda, refugia, shortleaf pine, slash pine, migration, genetics, biogeography, Pleistocene, southern pine |
| Abstract:
The current natural ranges of the southern pines (Pinus subsect. Australes) include the warm-temperate to sub-tropical climate of the south-eastern United States. Little is known about the location of the southern pines during the Pleistocene glaciation. Macrofossils of spruce (Picea sp.) dating from the late Pleistocene, which are typical of climates much cooler than presently occupied by the southern pines, have been found within the current range of the southern pines, indicating that the climate was considerably colder at that time. From this it is reasonable to assume that the southern pines were situated south of their present range during the Pleistocene. Variation in adaptive and non-adaptive traits of the southern pines suggests that loblolly pine (P. taeda) existed in two refugia, one in south Texas/north Mexico, and one in south Florida. Longleaf pine (P. palustris) probably existed only in the western refugium. Slash pine (P. elliottii), on the other hand, presumably resided only in the Florida refugium, whereas shortleaf pine (P. echinata) is cold-hardy enough to have existed in a continuous distribution across the Gulf Coast. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
