Field Trip Log:
- Upon arriving at side of hill, we viewed the fresh spring water that ran down the hill. This stream of clean water ran out the side of the mountain and created a miniature creek upon which many plant species were living, including the Mimulus Gatatus. In this location we could tell that gene flow would be difficult because seed dispersal, even with the help of a pollinator, would be too costly. We concluded that because of factors like this, this population can be considered extremely isolated.
- The next site we visited was a creek in Muir Woods. In this creek we saw many species of fish and plants. The couple of individuals of Mimulus we found we rather close to one another, but we concluded that they were basically meaningless populations. This was because they are only present while the creek is low, once the creek begins to fill with water during the wet season these individuals would drown. Although these isolated populations could do better in drought years, it is very unlikely to interact with other populations on the because they are isolated. Aside from this, these individuals probably cannot regulate photosynthesis well because they live in a relatively shaded area and photo-cues are not easily distinguishable.
