Abstract
Frequencies of cyanogenic and acyanogenic plants were determined in 15 populations of white clover, Trifolium repens, representing altitudinal comparisons at five localities in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and one in northwestern Washington State, U.S.A. The percentage of cyanogenic plants averaged 53·8 per cent in low elevation (<100m) populations, 25·7 per cent in mid elevation (500–650 m) populations, and 11·6 per cent in high elevation (1000–1500 m) populations. At all of the localities except Grouse Mountain, North Vancouver, B.C., the frequency of cyanogenic plants was lowest in high elevation populations. The altitudinal ratio-cline for cyanogenesis parallels clines found in the Swiss Alps and Wales, where white clover is a native species. White clover is introduced in North America, and the cline in southwestern British Columbia must have been established in less than a century, and in some populations less than 15 years. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis of strong selective pressure for alternative phenotypes by temperature and/or predation by slugs and snails.
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Ganders, F. Altitudinal clines for cyanogenesis in introduced populations of white clover near Vancouver, Canada. Heredity 64, 387–390 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1990.48
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1990.48
