DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Preserving biodiversity: effects of gene flow from switchgrass cultivars on small, native populations.

与作物杂交的野生植物的长期生存取决于保持野生基因库的多样性，这反过来可能有助于进一步的作物开发。 如果野生种群很小且孤立，邻近的相容作物可能会通过花粉和/或种子介导的基因流动减少其遗传多样性。 柳枝稷（Panicum virgatum）是一种受欢迎的原生草原草，也是一种有前途的生物燃料作物。 柳枝稷品种已被广泛种植在联邦保护区计划地区，这往往发生在附近的小，残留的草原。 然而，作物到野生的基因流的程度及其对野生柳枝稷遗传多样性的影响还没有得到很好的研究。 这项研究将比较野生和附近种植柳枝稷种群的遗传多样性，并将使用DNA标记和地理信息系统数据测试遗传沼泽的证据。我们的研究将提供有关野生柳枝稷多样性现状以及正在进行的涉及商业柳枝稷品种的栖息地恢复项目的潜在影响的宝贵信息。 我们的研究结果也将有助于规划本地草原草物种的长期保护，并将为未来开发和监管转基因柳枝稷生物燃料提供指导。 我们计划向俄亥俄州州立大学的本科生讲授自然杂交和保护生物多样性的重要性。 此外，我们将通过专业会议和当地组织接触保护从业者，业余植物学家和公众。 我们希望提高人们对新品种（包括转基因作物）的潜在生态和进化影响的认识。

The long-term survival of wild plants that hybridize with crops depends on maintaining the diversity of wild gene pools, which, in turn, may be useful for further crop development. If wild populations are small and isolated, neighboring compatible crops could reduce their genetic diversity through pollen- and/or seed-mediated gene flow. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a popular native prairie grass and a promising biofuel crop. Switchgrass cultivars have been extensively planted in federal Conservation Reserve Program areas, which often occur near small, remnant prairies. However, the extent of crop-to-wild gene flow and its impacts on wild switchgrass genetic diversity have not been well studied. This research will compare genetic diversity of wild and nearby cultivated switchgrass populations, and will test for evidence of genetic swamping using DNA markers and Geographical Information System data. Our study will provide valuable information on the current state of wild switchgrass diversity and the potential impacts of ongoing habitat restoration projects involving commercial switchgrass cultivars. Our findings will also be useful for planning the long-term conservation of native prairie grass species, and will provide guidance for the future development and regulation of transgenic switchgrass that is developed for biofuels. We plan to teach undergraduate students at Ohio State University about natural hybridization and the importance of preserving biodiversity. In addition, we will reach conservation practitioners, amateur botanists, and the general public through professional meetings and local organizations. We hope to raise awareness of potential ecological and evolutionary impacts of new cultivars, including genetically engineered crops.