“…tritici resistance (Nevo et al, 1991), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) salinity tolerance (Smith et al, 1994), and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) indeterminate flowering at high elevations (Steiner & Garcia de los Santos, 2001). Germplasm classifications based on molecular marker characteristics have been shown to be associated with ecogeographic features of accession collecting sites (Steiner, 1999), although there are examples where such relationships do not occur (Falkenhagen, 1985;Marshall, 1990). There are few examples that demonstrate how germplasm variability affecting plant physiological functions impacts its natural ecogeographic distribution (e.g., distribution of Trifolium repens L. glucoside and enzyme phenotypes spatially along geographic and altitude gradients) (Briggs & Walters, 1988).…”