Plant origins and dispersal

Abstract

In many ways the diversity of the Juan Fernández flora is impressive given the relative youth of the islands, the remoteness of the archipelago, and the small bird fauna associated with them. The native flora is small enough that we could study it all either in the field, or from specimens. Thus, we are able to work with the whole flora of an archipelago, and have produced the first analysis of dispersal and origins of an island flora. Not surprisingly, and in concert with many previous studies, the most common source is the closest, and the most common dispersal modes are wind and bird. In contrast to some other studies, however, is the fact that animal dispersal is more limited, perhaps analogously to the limited biotic pollination, both situations induced by a relatively young, distant and small archipelago, with consequently fewer animal dispersers. The biota of the Juan Fernández is interesting from many vantage points including as a paradigm for establishment and persistence in the face of strong distance, size and age filters.