Fire, bees and other disturbances: the basis for variation in genetic diversity in long-lived plants.

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An understanding of processes generating temporal and spatial patterns of genetic diversity in perennial plants must underpin successful conservation. Our long-term study will exploit systems in the family Proteaceae in which we have completed foundation studies. We will develop and extend molecular techniques to measure (i) genetic changes from seed to adult, (ii) gene flow by different pollinator classes, and (iii) genetic contamination by foreign gene pools, in systems affected by introduced pollinators and natural and cultivar hybridization. Most importantly, we will use fire as an accelerant of generational change and test fitness consequences of changes in genotypic diversity.