Why are oaks good for phylogenetic trees?
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Why are oaks good for phylogenetic trees?
From opposing scales of time and geography, we converge on four overarching explanations of evolutionary success in oaks: accumulation of large reservoirs of diversity within populations and species; ability for rapid migration contributing to ecological priority effects on lineage diversification; high rates of …
Are oak trees dioecious?
Oaks and many other trees are monoecious. In contrast, other trees, such as persimmon and white ash, are dioecious. In dioecious trees, the male and female flowers are produced on separate plants, and only those trees with female flowers produce seed.
Can trees live alone?
There are some truly solitary trees, but not very many. Indeed, every solitary tree, or better, any plant that is isolated, far away from its species mates, almost always has an interesting story to tell.
What happened to cause the evolution of different oak species in eastern North America and in Europe?
The better answer to where modern oaks arose may simply be “in the north.” But when global temperatures started their long descent about 52 million years ago, oaks were gradually pushed southward, away from the land bridges that have connected Eurasia and North America intermittently over the past 50 million years.
How do oak trees evolve?
Between 10 and 20 million years ago, probably via the Texas lineage, the oaks moved into Mexico. These oaks were cold-adapted, so as they migrated south to Mexico they climbed to higher elevations, encountering topographic variation and different levels of water availability.
Where did oak trees originate?
It is likely that America can claim oaks as our own, since the earliest fossils were found in the present-day state of Georgia. There are over 600 species of trees and shrubs in the oak genus. All are native to the northern hemisphere, from frigid latitudes to tropical Asia and the Americas.
Why do oak trees produce pollen?
Oak trees pollinate through a long cluster of flowers called catkins. Catkins develop before any leaves on the tree, giving the tree a greater chance for pollination. Catkins dangle at the tips of branches. The wind blows and carries the pollen for miles.
Do oak trees have gender?
Function. Each oak tree is essentially both male and female, since it features both male and female flowers. The male flowers are small structures on stalk-like appendages called catkins; the catkins droop down from some of the branches. Female flowers are so small they are best identified with a magnifying glass.
L. An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus (/ˈkwɜːrkəs/; Latin “oak tree”) of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks.