DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Gene flow by seed and pollen: implications for plant adaptation to changing climates

当今生态学家面临的一个关键挑战是了解物种将如何应对预计的气候变化。尤其缺乏考虑种群之间的遗传联系将如何影响当地适应新气候的方法。在开花植物中，基因流动通过种子传播和花粉移动发生，这些过程可能会对决定气候耐受性的性状的遗传变异的分布产生不同的后果。该项目将把对种子和花粉移动的估计纳入对北美西部春季池塘湿地特有的一种植物--弗雷蒙蒂草(菊科)的当地适应情况的分析中。由于种子和花粉运动引起的遗传变异的分布将使用分子标记在整个物种范围内进行分析。这一分析将使评估基因流动对植物种群适应不断变化的气候条件的潜力的影响成为可能。气候变化是对世界的主要威胁？S生物多样性。分布参差不齐、生境分散和扩散能力有限的物种，包括许多稀有植物物种，尤其脆弱，因为它们无法改变其分布，以跟踪不断变化的气候制度。我们的项目将在面对气候变化时为恢复和保护狭小分布的植物物种做出重大贡献。我们将制定一份关于泉水池植物物种种群遗传学研究的实用指南，分发给州和联邦机构、研究机构和参与泉水池生态系统保护和管理的非营利性组织。此外，该项目将为本科生提供研究经验，包括来自科学界代表性不足群体的个人。

A critical challenge for ecologists today is to understand how species will respond to projected shifts in climate. Particularly lacking are approaches considering how genetic connectivity among populations will influence local adaptation to novel climates. In flowering plants, gene flow occurs through seed dispersal and pollen movement, and these processes can have different consequences for the distribution of genetic variation in traits that determine climatic tolerances. This project will incorporate estimates of seed and pollen movement into an analysis of local adaptation in Lasthenia fremontii (Asteraceae), a plant species that is endemic to vernal pool wetlands of western North America. The distribution of genetic variation, due to seed versus pollen movement, will be analyzed across the species range using molecular markers. This analysis will make it possible to evaluate the consequences of gene flow on the potential for plant populations to adapt to changing climate conditions.Climate change presents a major threat to the world?s biodiversity. Species with patchy distributions, fragmented habitats and limited dispersal abilities, including many rare plant species, are particularly vulnerable because they cannot shift their distributions to track changing climatic regimes. Our project will significantly contribute to restoration and conservation efforts for narrowly distributed plant species in the face of climate change. We will develop a practical guide for the study of population genetics in vernal pool plant species that will be distributed to state and federal agencies, research institutes, and non-profit organizations involved in the conservation and management of vernal pool ecosystems. In addition, the project will provide research experience to undergraduate students, including individuals from groups underrepresented in the sciences.