Genetic and Physiological Adaptation in the Hill Reaction of Deschampsia caespitosa

Abstract

SINCE the work of Turesson¹, numerous investigations have established the presence of ecological races in species which are wide-ranging or occupy diverse habitats². It seems that natural selection has resulted in the production of local populations which are genetically adapted to the environment. These adaptations have been evident on a morphological basis for some time, but in recent years the investigations of physiological processes, for example, photosynthesis and respiration³, have been emphasized. Unfortunately, comparative studies in higher plants of adaptive physiological and biochemical mechanisms lag behind similar studies with bacteria and animals.