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WonderIsland radiation fact1,801 of 1,961

Hawaiian silverswords, shrubs, cushion plants, vines and trees evolved from one colonizing tarweed lineage, an extraordinary morphological range across the islands' habitats.

From silver rosette to rainforest tree

EvolutionBiologyNature

Why it matters

The idea in context

An ancestor related to North American tarweeds reached remote Hawaii and met ecological opportunities with few close competitors. Its descendants stretched one lineage into ground-hugging mats, woody shrubs, vines and trees, including Haleakalā's reflective silverswords. The spectacle is botanical engineering across altitude: bark, water-storing tissue, cushions and silver leaves assembled from shared ancestry.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

Hawaii'nin gümüşkılıçları, çalıları, yastık bitkileri, sarmaşıkları ve ağaçları tek bir göçmen tarweed soyundan evrildi; adaların yaşam alanlarında olağanüstü bir biçim aralığı oluşturdu.
Gümüş rozetten yağmur ormanı ağacına

Kuzey Amerika tarweedlerine akraba bir ata uzak Hawaii'ye ulaştı ve yakın akraba rakibin az olduğu ekolojik fırsatlarla karşılaştı. Torunları tek bir soyu yere yapışan örtülere, odunsu çalılara, sarmaşıklara ve ağaçlara uzattı; Haleakalā'nın yansıtıcı gümüşkılıçları da bunların arasındadır. Gösteri, irtifalar boyunca botanik mühendisliktir: ortak atadan kurulan kabuk, su depolayan doku, yastık ve gümüş yapraklar.

Source trail

Read beyond the card.

Background reading: Silversword allianceAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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