Much of the vegetation also carries the characteristic of being monocarpic, which means that the species is unbranched. As the article indicates, this is a feature which has been altered at least four different times since the Aeonium first arrived in the island regions examined. Still, it retains the basic quality of monocarpy, which the article indicates is most likely an attribute indicative of its short lifespan and high reproductive capacity. This helps the species to grow upon the barren landscapes of lava fields and other such geologically unique expanses. Additionally, it helps to reinforce, although still somewhat indirectly, the notion that plant species are prone to this sort of adaptive radiation with greater evidentiary likelihood in tropical island contexts. Other traits that the study assess in order to make these observations include herbivore defences and sexual dimorphism, both of which relate directly to the evolutionary viability and reproductive character of the genus. The variations by which these traits occur...
This is because hybridization refers to the totally novel creation of a species through the cross-breeding of different genus. Accordingly, Jorgensen & Olesen conclude that the slight phenotypic and morphological variations between different examples of the genus Aeonium are suggestive of a common origin and a wide spectrum of distinct survival and evolutionary needs.
Works Cited:
Jorgensen, T.H. & Olesen, J.M. (2001). Adaptive Radiation of Island Plants: Evidence from Aeonium (Crassulacaea) of the Canary Islands. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 4(1), 29-42.
