environment

Heteroblasty, changes in vegetative phenotype during ontogeny, is unusually common in the New Zealand flora. Some feature(s) unique to the New Zealand situation must have influenced the evolution of this strategy. Similarities were examined between the ontogenetic changes in phenotype and growth strategy in Elaeocarpus hookerianus, Carpodetus serratus and Pseudopanax crassifolius. Variation in hypothesised light capture efficiency of juvenile and adult forms can be related to changes in the light environment that these growth forms experience.

The vegetation of Campbell Island and its offshore islets was sampled quantitatively at 140 sites. Data from the 134 sites with more than one vascular plant species were subjected to multivariate analysis. Out of a total of 140 indigenous and widespread adventive species known from the island group, 124 vascular species were recorded; 85 non-vascular cryptogams or species aggregates play a major role in the vegetation. Up to 19 factors of the physical environment were recorded or derived for each site.