Studies on the nature of the adaptations of the monkey flower, Mimulus guttatus, to a thermophilic environment
The banks of many of the hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (U.S.A.) are populated almost exclusively by the wild flower Mimulus guttatus. Studies were undertaken to attempt to determine the nature of the adaptations this species possesses to enable it to survive in this thermophilic environment. Measurements of the heat stabilities of cytoplasmic proteins from this plant provide no evidence to indicate any unusual thermostable properties at the biochemical level. Similarly, the temperature optimum for growth of this species in tissue culture is not dramatically different from that of tissue taken from related or unrelated plants. Since this species has no obvious detectable differences in thermostability at the biochemical and cellular level, it is concluded that its ability to populate these areas may be primarily due to its hydrophytic nature as well as its ability to reproduce vegetatively.