COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LTREB: The Interplay of Genetic and Numerical Dynamics in Severely Fragmented Prairie Populations of Echinacea Angustifolia

该项目将扩展对狭叶紫锥菊（Echinacea angustifolia）的遗传学和生态学研究，狭叶紫锥菊是一种原产于美国平原和草原的长寿多年生植物。在过去的世纪土地使用的变化已经消除了草原栖息地，限制人口的这种典型的草原植物的小遗迹。先前的工作揭示了E.狭叶为了阐明这些反馈对该植物的持续存在和持续进化的影响，本项目将继续对所有E.在明尼苏达州6400公顷的研究区域内，在23个草原遗迹中生长的狭叶草。它将包括密集搜寻幼苗，随后监测其存活情况，以评估残余种群的补充率。 这项研究还将继续监测植物在三个实验中，旨在1）表征个体的健康，生存和繁殖的残余种群之间的分歧，2）确定近亲繁殖和残余间交配如何影响后代适合度和3）评估碎片化种群的遗传变异。该项目对了解长寿草本植物的种群生物学有实质性的贡献。该项目的结果将为分散栖息地的多年生种群的保护和管理提供信息。

This project will extend a study of genetics and ecology of Echinacea angustifolia, a long-lived perennial plant native to the plains and prairie of the United States. Land-use changes over the past century have eliminated prairie habitat, confining populations of this typical prairie plant to small remnants. Previous work has revealed feedbacks between the genetics and demography of E. angustifolia. To clarify the effects of these feedbacks on the persistence and ongoing evolution of this plant, this project will continue the annual census of all flowering plants of E. angustifolia growing in 23 prairie remnants within a 6400 hectare study area in MN. It will include intensive searches for seedlings and subsequent monitoring of their survival to evaluate recruitment rates among remnant populations. This research will also continue monitoring plants in three experiments designed to 1) characterize divergence among remnant populations in the health, survival, and reproduction of individuals, 2) determine how inbreeding and inter-remnant mating affect progeny fitness and 3) assess genetic variation in the fragmented populations. This project contributes substantively to understanding of the population biology of long-lived herbaceous plants. Results from this project will inform the conservation and management of perennial populations in fragmented habitat.