ESPELAND, ERIN K. Department of Biological Sciences, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192, Current address: Environmental Restoration Division, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94551. - Population differentiation in Eschscholzia californica on three soil types.
The Eschscholzia californica (California poppy) growing in
the Ben Lomond sand hills of Santa Cruz county, California with its
striking purple and white-colored leaves, may differ from other
populations in the surrounding area. To quantify these differences,
populations in coastal, sand hills, and serpentine soils were
compared. Phenotypic data were collected from the field in 1998 and
1999. A common garden experiment was also performed. The sand hills
population differs from both the coastal and the serpentine
populations for the leaf characters examined. Population
differentiation occurred among all three sites for at least some of
the floral characters examined. The common garden experiment
indicates that many of the difference among the populations are
heritable, and are not a direct response to soil type.
Key words: Eschscholzia californica , ecotype, leaf color, population differentiation, sand, serpentine