DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Preserving biodiversity: effects of gene flow from switchgrass cultivars on small, native populations.

与作物杂交的野生植物的长期生存取决于维持野生基因库的多样性，这反过来可能有助于进一步的作物发展。如果野生种群很小且与世隔绝，邻近的亲和作物可能会通过花粉和/或种子介导的基因流来减少它们的遗传多样性。柳枝菊(Panicum Virgatum)是一种广受欢迎的草原牧草，也是一种很有前途的生物燃料作物。柳枝花品种已经在联邦自然保护计划地区广泛种植，这些地区经常出现在小而残存的草原附近。然而，作物向野生植物的基因流动程度及其对野生柳枝条遗传多样性的影响还没有得到很好的研究。这项研究将比较野生和附近种植柳枝花种群的遗传多样性，并将使用DNA标记和地理信息系统数据来测试遗传沼泽的证据。我们的研究将为野生柳枝条多样性的现状以及正在进行的涉及商业柳枝柳品种的栖息地恢复项目的潜在影响提供有价值的信息。我们的发现也将有助于规划本地草原草物种的长期保护，并将为未来开发用于生物燃料的转基因柳枝草的开发和监管提供指导。我们计划向俄亥俄州立大学的本科生讲授自然杂交和保护生物多样性的重要性。此外，我们还将通过专业会议和地方组织接触到保育从业者、业余植物学家和普通公众。我们希望提高人们对新品种潜在的生态和进化影响的认识，包括转基因作物。

The long-term survival of wild plants that hybridize with crops depends on maintaining the diversity of wild gene pools, which, in turn, may be useful for further crop development. If wild populations are small and isolated, neighboring compatible crops could reduce their genetic diversity through pollen- and/or seed-mediated gene flow. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a popular native prairie grass and a promising biofuel crop. Switchgrass cultivars have been extensively planted in federal Conservation Reserve Program areas, which often occur near small, remnant prairies. However, the extent of crop-to-wild gene flow and its impacts on wild switchgrass genetic diversity have not been well studied. This research will compare genetic diversity of wild and nearby cultivated switchgrass populations, and will test for evidence of genetic swamping using DNA markers and Geographical Information System data. Our study will provide valuable information on the current state of wild switchgrass diversity and the potential impacts of ongoing habitat restoration projects involving commercial switchgrass cultivars. Our findings will also be useful for planning the long-term conservation of native prairie grass species, and will provide guidance for the future development and regulation of transgenic switchgrass that is developed for biofuels. We plan to teach undergraduate students at Ohio State University about natural hybridization and the importance of preserving biodiversity. In addition, we will reach conservation practitioners, amateur botanists, and the general public through professional meetings and local organizations. We hope to raise awareness of potential ecological and evolutionary impacts of new cultivars, including genetically engineered crops.