TITLE:
Morphological Diversity of Populations of the Genus Prosopis in the Semiarid Chaco of Northern Cordoba and Southern Santiago Del Estero
AUTHORS:
Marisa Jacqueline Joseau, Aníbal Ramón Verga, María del Pilar Díaz, Norma Beatríz Julio
KEYWORDS:
Algarrobo; Morphological Groups; Hybrid Swarm; Semi-Arid and Arid Chaco
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.11,
November
13,
2013
ABSTRACT: The objective of this study consisted in the characterization of
morphological variability presented in
the Prosopis population in the corridor that unites the semiarid with
the arid region in Argentina. In this region, four species of Prosopis get in contact (P. chilensis, P. flexuosa, P. alba and P. nigra). Due to
the fact that these species make fertile hybrids, this corridor
has an enormous diversity. The mother’s
allowed the differentiation of five morphologic groups, which from the point of view of classic taxonomy have been classified in 16 taxa. Only groups 3 and 4 presented intermediate
characteristics. The morphologic study of the descendants showed that the regrouping of the
intermediate groups had a high error rate. This fact reaffirms the condition of
intermediate groups. The canonical correlation analysis between the morphologic
variables of the mothers and the seedlings revealed that each morphologic group
had its own association of canonical variables between mothers and their
seedlings, and that the variability observed in the set of the mothers and
their seedlings follows a certain order. The enormous existing morphologic
diversity in the Prosopis populations of the semi-arid Chaco of the
north of Córdoba and southeast of Santiago del Estero was ordered in five morphologic
groups. The descendant’s morphologic studies confirmed the existence of the
defined morphologic-genetic groups.