CHEMICAL AND ECOLOGICAL VARIABILITY OF CUPRESSUS-BAKERI ON GOOSENEST MOUNTAIN, CALIFORNIA

Foliage of 51 trees from five natural populations of Goosenest Mountai n, California were analyzed for mono- and sesquiterpenes using gas chr omatography. A thorough survey of populations was made to clarify the degree of genetic Variation at this location, that from our earlier st udies would appear to be the most phenotypically variable of the disju nct localities of this species. Compositional variability together wit h analyses of allele frequencies for some of the terpenoids were emplo yed to assess genetic differentiation patterns within and among the po pulations. Overall variability at this locality was high, confirming o ur earlier morphometrical and chemical analyses, including high levels of inter- and intra-population variability. The pattern of phenotyic variability observed among these populations was closely correlated wi th genetic variability, suggesting this to be the most genetically div erse of the known stands of this species. The phenotypic variability o bserved encompassed that round in more northern and more southern loca lities, supporting our hypothesis that this is a region of transition in the species. A suprisingly great differentiation between two geogra phically close populations on the north-west side of the mountain sugg ests that gene flow is very restricted in this species.