Dissertation Research: Genetic Diversity & Population Structure of Quercus ruba in Old Growth & Secondary Forests in Southern New England

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0073495Kesseli & GerweinThe landscape of New England has been drastically altered over the last 300 years, most obviously by the shrinking and recent reemergence of the forest cover. While forest cover has increased from a low of less than 30% in a highly fragmented distribution during the mid 1800s to the current 65%, nothing is known of the affect of this bottleneck on the genetic diversity and structure of the species of these communities. Records of Massachusetts forest cover in the 1830s provide an opportunity to examine these effects. These records are used to determine historic deforestation patterns in four areas of Massachusetts. DNA markers will be used to characterize the genetic diversity and population structure of Red Oak (Quercus rubra), a dominant tree of both old-growth and secondary forests. Thi study will describe the genetic structure of old-growth populations, determine whether secondary-growth populations have lower genetic diversity, and characterize the patterns of recruitment, dispersal and structure associated with historical deforestation records. Results will be useful in planning the conservation of New England forests and regional development and will provide the first data showing the long-term consequences of deforestation and forest degradation. The historical perspective of New England could be used as baseline data characterizing these long-term affects. These data will identify critical refugia of genetic diversity and characterize dispersal patterns and population structure, all important parameters for conservation management.