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

今天生态学家面临的一个关键挑战是了解物种将如何对预测的气候变化做出反应。尤其缺乏的是考虑种群之间的遗传连通性将如何影响当地对新气候的适应的方法。在开花植物中，基因流动通过种子传播和花粉运动发生，这些过程可能对决定气候耐受性的性状的遗传变异分布产生不同的影响。该项目将把种子和花粉运动的估计纳入到对北美西部春水池湿地特有的拉斯滕尼亚（Lasthenia fremontii） （Asteraceae）的当地适应性分析中。遗传变异的分布，由于种子和花粉的运动，将分析整个物种范围内使用分子标记。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。气候变化对世界构成重大威胁？生物多样性。分布不均匀、栖息地碎片化和传播能力有限的物种，包括许多稀有植物物种，特别容易受到伤害，因为它们无法改变其分布以适应不断变化的气候制度。我们的项目将为面对气候变化的狭窄分布的植物物种的恢复和保护做出重大贡献。我们将为春池植物物种的种群遗传学研究开发一个实用指南，该指南将分发给涉及春池生态系统保护和管理的州和联邦机构、研究机构和非营利组织。此外，该项目将为本科生提供研究经验，包括来自科学领域代表性不足的群体的个人。

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.