A survey of seed and seedling characters in 1744 Australian dicotyledon species: cross-species trait correlations and correlated trait-shifts within evolutionary lineages.

摘要

Some 1744 Australian dicotyledonous plant species were studied for 6 seedling traits, coded as binary alternatives. All traits were found right across the dicotyledon phylogeny, therefore primitive and advanced characters are not easily determined.The strongest correlations were found between seed volume on the one hand and cryptocotyly, scale-like first leaves and green embryos on the other. Overall results suggest that traits have assorted independently of each other, and therefore seedling typologies should be considered merely as classifications of convenience.