Microgeographical Variation in Allozyme Frequencies in Avena barbata.

Microgeographical distribution of alleles of five enzyme loci and one morphological variant has been determined within populations of A. barbata occupying sites that are transitional between different vegetational zones. The results show that the spatial distribution of alleles is nonrandom and highly correlated with habitat in patterns that parallel the distribution of the same alleles in major climatic zones in California. It is concluded that the observed patterns of variation are best explained by Neo-Darwinian evolutionary models, in which selection plays a predominant role.