Results
Results based on Summer 2010 Chamaecrista Study
We established that within a genetically identical population of Chamaecrista photoperiod, soil composition, and temperature may effect flowering time and plant morphology.
Plants at Weaver Dunes had the largest number of expanded leaves and grew the tallest of any of the sites we studied this summer. This may be because Weaver Dunes is the seed source for all the other Chamaecrista sites. As such, plants here may have had the "Home-field advantage", meaning they had evolved best to these conditions and the other sites where still adapting to their new locations which may have impacted their morphology and flowering time.
Total plant height, number of leaves, Biomass distribution and internode length below and above Node of First Open Flower (NFOF) all varied between environments. These differences in plant morphology can be attributed to environmental effects because the seed is genetically identical.
- Even within similar environments, like Arb sites 1 and 2 which are within a half mile of each other, micro-ecosystem and soil influences can effect plant morphology and flowering time.
Soil composition and micro-ecosystem biodiversity varied depending on environment. By comparing different plant morphologies and flowering times to the the soil content and geology of the area, we may be able to deduce the "ideal" environment for Chamaecrista. This may help yield larger crops of Chamaecrista if, in the future, it begins to be farmed as biofules.
