Dissertation Research: Population Genetics and Dynamics of Postelsia Palmaeformis: A Metapopulation Approach

这个项目专注于一年生海洋植物物种的种群动态和遗传学，这种海藻通常被称为海棕榈(Postelsia Palmaeformis)。海棕榈是一种生长在太平洋西北部的一年生藻类。它在初春出现，每年秋天消亡。种群的位置和规模每年都有很大的不同。这项研究研究了这些人口是如何沿海岸和时间联系在一起的。在过去两年中，使用计算机化的测量设备绘制了个人位置的地图。同时，已经收集了组织样本进行遗传分析。DNA标记将被用来揭示在一个种群内，两个或更多个种群之间，以及从一年到下一年的种群之间的个体之间的关系。研究种群在空间和时间上的动态可以让我们了解种群是如何相互联系的。这种理解提供了对许多有机体来说是不可知的东西的洞察，即个体来自哪里以及他们如何相互作用。DNA标记使我们能够估计种群的遗传多样性(即一个物种的“遗传健康”)。这类研究的结果具有基本的科学意义，可用于管理和保护沿海地区的生物资源。

0073542Waaland & WhitmerThis project focuses on the population dynamics and genetics of an annual marine plant species, a kelp commonly known as the Sea Palm (Postelsia palmaeformis). The Sea Palm is an annual alga that grows in the Pacific Northwest. It appears in the early spring and dies off each fall. Population locations and sizes vary dramatically from year to year. This research studies how these populations are related along the coast and through time. Individuals' locations have been mapped using computerized surveying equipment over the last two years. Concurrently, tissue samples have been collected for genetic analysis. DNA markers will be used to reveal the relationship of individuals found in a single year within a population, between two or more populations, and between populations from one year to the next.Studying population dynamics through space and time allows us to understand how populations are interconnected. This understanding provides insight into what is otherwise unknowable for many organisms, namely where individuals come from and how they interact with each other. DNA markers allow us to estimate the genetic diversity of populations (i.e., the "genetic health" of a species). Results of such studies are of fundamental scientific interest and may be applied in managing and conserving living resources in coastal regions.