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CREOSOTE BUSH: LONG‐LIVED CLONES IN THE MOJAVE DESERT
Author(s) -
Vasek Frank C.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1980.tb07648.x
Subject(s) - biology , clone (java method) , radiocarbon dating , botany , ecology , paleontology , genetics , dna
Creosote bush clones in the Mojave Desert develop by irregular radial growth, stem segmentation and the production of new stems at the outer edge of stem segments. The resulting circular clone encloses a central bare area as the central dead wood rots away. Old clones become elliptical and may exceed 20 m in length. Modern growth rates estimated from annual increments in stem wood of seedlings (0.73 mm/yr) and young clones (0.82 mm/yr) approximate those estimated for radiocarbon‐dated wood samples (0.66 mm/yr). Assuming comparable growth rates through time, the extrapolated age of the largest known clone (average radius = 7.8 m) may approach 11,700 years. If growth rates have changed, that clone's age may be somewhat less.