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ContentSnapshots, Annals of Botany, Volume 113, Issue 4, March 2014, Pages i–iii, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcu023
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Lagoons, coral atolls and coconut palm dispersal (Viewpoint)
doi:10.1093/aob/mct293
The location of the original home of the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, and the extent of its natural dispersal are the subject of debate. Harries and Clement (pp. 565–570) formulate a hypothesis that identifies a previously unconsidered route along which the primordial coconut might have travelled between the South American and Indian tectonic plates without being indigenous on either. They propose that that C. nucifera originated and dispersed by populating emerging islands of the coral atoll ecosystem where establishment conditions impose high selection pressures for survival. Monthly production of fruit and their long floating duration ensure that viable seednuts are always available to replace those lost, or to populate newly emerged coral atolls elsewhere.
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Trends and concepts in fern classification (Invited Review)
doi:10.1093/aob/mct299
Fern classification has been highly unstable in the past, largely because the morphological characters selected for emphasis in higher-level classifications have been variable. Christenhusz and Chase (pp. 571–594) review the history of fern classification, and consider that some classifications based on single characteristics have been useful for identifying species but are highly artificial in terms of their views on relationships, whilst classifications using a suite of characters have been considered more ‘natural’, but with the advance of molecular phylogenetics many of these ‘natural’ groups have also been shown to be highly artificial. They highlight which groups/genera have taxonomic issues that remain to be clarified, and propose the use of broader family concepts. Progress in developing a consensus fern classification is reflected in a new proposed classification.
