COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LTREB: The Interplay of Genetic and Numerical Dynamics in Severely Fragmented Prairie Populations of Echinacea Angustifolia

这个项目将扩展对狭叶紫锥菊的遗传学和生态学的研究，紫锥菊是一种原产于美国平原和草原的多年生植物。在过去的一个世纪里，土地利用的变化已经消除了草原的栖息地，将这种典型的草原植物的种群限制在很小的残留物上。以前的工作已经揭示了狭叶沙枣的遗传学和人口学之间的反馈关系。为了阐明这些反馈对这种植物的持久性和正在进行的进化的影响，该项目将继续对生长在明尼苏达州6400公顷研究区域内的23个草原残留地的所有开花植物进行年度普查。它将包括密集搜寻苗木，并随后监测苗木的存活率，以评估残存人口的征兵率。这项研究还将继续在三个实验中监测植物，这些实验旨在1)确定残存种群之间在个体健康、生存和繁殖方面的差异，2)确定近亲交配和残存种群间交配如何影响后代适合度，3)评估零散种群中的遗传变异。这个项目对了解长寿草本植物的种群生物学有很大的贡献。该项目的结果将为保护和管理栖息地碎片化的多年生种群提供信息。

This project will extend a study of genetics and ecology of Echinacea angustifolia, a long-lived perennial plant native to the plains and prairie of the United States. Land-use changes over the past century have eliminated prairie habitat, confining populations of this typical prairie plant to small remnants. Previous work has revealed feedbacks between the genetics and demography of E. angustifolia. To clarify the effects of these feedbacks on the persistence and ongoing evolution of this plant, this project will continue the annual census of all flowering plants of E. angustifolia growing in 23 prairie remnants within a 6400 hectare study area in MN. It will include intensive searches for seedlings and subsequent monitoring of their survival to evaluate recruitment rates among remnant populations. This research will also continue monitoring plants in three experiments designed to 1) characterize divergence among remnant populations in the health, survival, and reproduction of individuals, 2) determine how inbreeding and inter-remnant mating affect progeny fitness and 3) assess genetic variation in the fragmented populations. This project contributes substantively to understanding of the population biology of long-lived herbaceous plants. Results from this project will inform the conservation and management of perennial populations in fragmented habitat.