Pollination, adaptation and speciation models in the Cape flora of South Africa

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Summary: Johnson, S. D.: Pollination, adaptation and speciation models in the Cape flora of South Africa. – Taxon 45: 59‐66. 1996. – ISSN 0040‐0262.Recent species definitions have placed emphasis on “diagnostic characters” rather than isolating mechanisms. Such characters can be informative about the evolutionary processes which lead to speciation in highly diversified plant groups, such as those found in the Cape floral region of South Africa. Rampant speciation in the Cape flora has often been attributed to heterogeneity of the physical environment, yet many large Cape genera show radiation in floral, rather than vegetative, characters, which suggests that adaptation to pollinators has played a major role in speciation. Selection for more efficient pollination systems in a pollinator‐limited context, rather than isolating mechanisms, is suggested to be the primary driving force behind floral evolution in the Cape flora.