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A Preliminary Study Of Heteromeles Arbutifolia Fruit Morphology At Ballona Wetlands And Temescal Canyon, Los Angeles, California, Victor D. Carmona
A Preliminary Study Of Heteromeles Arbutifolia Fruit Morphology At Ballona Wetlands And Temescal Canyon, Los Angeles, California, Victor D. Carmona
Victor D. Carmona-Galindo
Heteromeles arbutifolia, or the California holly, is an evergreen shrub native to chaparral habitats of Southern California that fruits from November to January. Fruit species morphology has been shown to be a good indicator of habitat quality among other plants. The variation in fruit morphologies was examined for the native plant at two diverse Southern California sites, a wetland and a canyon. California Holly fruits had a significantly greater volume in Ballona Wetlands than at Temescal Canyon (Z=4.367, P<0.001), as well as a significantly greater variance in Ballona Wetlands than at Temescal Canyon (F=2.357, P=0.02). The production of fruits with larger and more variable volumes in Ballona Wetlands may be a response to the presence of urban influences and environmental contaminants. As the reproductive structure, fruit morphology may be a good indicator of how habitat stress influences reproductive success.
Relationship Between Soil Sodium Concentration And Plant Height In Salicornia Virginica In The Ballona Wetlands In Los Angeles, California, Victor D. Carmona
Relationship Between Soil Sodium Concentration And Plant Height In Salicornia Virginica In The Ballona Wetlands In Los Angeles, California, Victor D. Carmona
Victor D. Carmona-Galindo
Previous studies have shown a positive relationship between biomass of the common wetland species of the halophyte, Salicornia virginica, and salinity (Callaway et al. 1998). Our research aims to implement a new technique that is less invasive than measuring total plant biomass which involves uprooting the plant. Instead, we have chosen to study the use of plant height as an indicator of sodium content in surrounding soils. Our hypothesis is that as plant height of S. virginica increases, there will be greater sodium content present in their corresponding soils. We found that plant heights had a significantly greater variation at …