Abstract Detail

Conservation Biology

Olfelt, Joel [1], Ejupovic, Adnan [2].

Population Dynamics of Rhodiola integrifolia ssp. leedyi (Crassulaceae) Using Field Based and Microsatellite Marker Data.

The dynamics of small, natural plant populations are not well understood, and long-term studies of them remain rare. Leedy's roseroot (Rhodiola integrifolia ssp. leedyi) is a rare plant species that is restricted to cool, moist, cliff habitats. It has six known populations, two in New York, and four in Minnesota. We have investigated Leedy's roseroot's population characteristics using field-based demographic data from 11 of the last 15 field seasons since 1997, and microsatellite markers from tissue collected in 2010. Since 1997 we have collected full population census data and flowering and seed set data from 15 to 58 permanently marked individuals from three of the Minnesota populations (MN1, MN2, MN3). We have generated microsatellite markers for nine regions from 45, 32, and 18 individuals from MN1, MN2 and MN3 respectively and from 36 individuals from one of the NY populations. We have analyzed the microsatellite data to estimate effective to actual population size ratios (Ne/N), and to estimate levels of gene flow and genetic variability using the LDNe, NeEstimator, OneSamp, and Arlequin 3.5 software programs. The census size averages of MN1, MN2 and MN3 have been 1019, 639 and 322, (SD 139, 123, 48) respectively, and Ne/N estimates vary dramatically (0.1 to 0.8) depending on population and estimation method, with the NY population generally having the lowest, and MN 3 having the highest Ne/N estimates. Seven of the nine microsatellite regions are polymorphic in Leedy's roseroot with an overall average of two alleles per locus. The average observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.5 (NY), and 0.21 (MN1) and was higher than expected for six of the seven polymorphic microsatellite regions. Genetic differentiation, as revealed by all pairwise Fst and Rst comparisons among the populations, was significant (p

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1 - Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625, USA
2 - Northeastern Illinois University, Biology, 5500 North St. Louis Ave, Chicago, IL, 60625, USA

Keywords:
none specified

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 30
Location: Marlborough A/Riverside Hilton
Date: Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Time: 1:45 PM
Number: 30002
Abstract ID:717
Candidate for Awards:None