Dissertation Research: The Genetic Consequences of Colonization in Lupinus lepidus

拟议的研究将解决以下问题的进化动力学 在Lupinus lepidus var. Lobii，一个重要的植物殖民者的爆炸区在山。圣 海伦 初步数据显示，这些人口 在小的空间上彼此遗传上差异 鳞片 这种差异的规模和程度将是 记录在案的，以及可能 将对未来的分化进行研究。 测量 种群增长率，年龄结构，种子库动态， 异交率将在不同年龄人群中进行， 在人造的创始人群体中。 这些参数和遗传 数据将允许估计关键的进化参数， 有效人口规模及其在一年后的增长率 人口瓶颈 种群间的基因流动将是 用小群体的遗传数据来衡量。 有效尺寸， 基因流，并估计补丁营业额将纳入 集合种群遗传模型的模拟。 最后 随机分化的潜力将与 移植实验的结果旨在阐明 选择压力的大小和空间变化。 这 研究将提供对漂移的相对重要性的深入了解， 在种群建立过程中的选择和信息 在理解自然恢复或 人为破坏生态系统。

The proposed research will address the evolutionary dynamics of colonization in newly-founded populations of Lupinus lepidus var. lobii, an important plant colonist of the blast zone at Mt. Saint Helens. Preliminary data indicate that these populations are genetically differentiated from each other over small spatial scales. The scale and magnitude of this differentiation will be documented, and the ecological and demographic factors which may affect future differentiation will be studied. Measurements of population growth rate, age structure, seedbank dynamics, and outcrossing rates will be made in different aged populations, and in artificial founder populations. These parameters and genetic data will allow estimation of a key evolutionary parameter, effective population size, and its rate of growth after a population bottleneck. Gene flow between populations will be measured using genetic data for small populations. Effective size, gene flow, and estimates of patch turnover will be incorporated in simulations of metapopulation genetic models. Finally, the potential for stochastic differentiation will be compared to results from transplant experiments designed to elucidate the magnitude of and spatial variation in selection pressures. This research will provide insight into the relative importance of drift and selection during the founding of populations, and information of central value in understanding the recovery of naturally or artificially damaged ecological systems.