CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

We review dispersal capabilities of the current angiosperm flora and the hypothesized origin and methods of arrival of the plant colonists to the Juan Fernandez archipelago. Most species originated from South America, followed by Pantropical, Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific colonizers. Lactoris fernandeziana and Thyrsopteris elegans are relicts. Birds were the most important long-distance dispersal agents. All dispersal methods are represented among the hermaphroditic-flowered species. Monoecious, andro- and gynomonoecious, dioecious, and polygamous species were mainly carried by birds. Most wind- and bird-pollinated genera arrived with birds. Most species with bright-colored flowers and annual herbs arrived through avian transport. The majority of species have dry fruits. In monoecious, andro- and gynomonoecious, and dioecious species, achenes predominate. Fleshy fruits are less frequent and limited to perennials, whereas achenes and caryopses are also found in annual herbs. Most species have medium or small dispersal units. In general, the larger the flower, the larger the fruit. Large- and medium-sized dispersal units are common in shrubs and trees. Most species have abiotic dispersal. This may reflect the ancestral dispersal capability of the colonizers, or adaptation in the conspicuous absence of a fauna to disperse seeds and fruits. Anemochorous and autochorous species are mainly perennial and have medium to large, unisexual flowers. Anemochorous species have small dispersal units. Species with large dispersal units are mainly autochorous, and those with medium-sized dispersal units are autochorous or ornithochorous. Most autochorous species have brightly colored flowers, whereas anemochorous species bear dull-colored flowers. The four endemic Asteraceae genera show reduced dispersal ability.