Studies into Abstract Properties of Individuals. VII. Emergence inHesperostipa comataand Three Species ofAchnatherum(Poaceae)

Emergence is examined in populations ofHesperostipa comata, and this grass is compared to individuals, populations, and three additional species ofAchnatherum. TheAchnatherumspecies are closely related and more distantly related toH. comata. Emergent properties are assessed through measurements of grass spikelets and the divergence from vectors of isometry as expressed in individuals, populations, species, and species groups. Our results demonstrate that the strongest degrees of emergence are expressed at the levels of individuals, species, and groups of species, with the strongest of all being seen whenH. comatais compared with the trio ofAchnatherumspecies; populations express the least emergence. This reflects evolutionary differentiation as expressed through the ontogenetic events that led to the formation of spikelets. It can be related to concepts of local and global time; the flow of energy, matter, and information; and the driving force of the expression of novelty (entropy) in organized and historically constrained biological systems.