Evolution of Intraspecific Genetic Differences Across Heterogeneous Environments and the Potential Impacts on Environmental Restoration

• Main Author: Yoko, Zebadiah Gaze
• Format: Others
• Published: North Dakota State University 2021
• Subjects: aster; evolution; genetic variation; geum triflorum; plant physiology; population genetics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10365/31737

Genetic differences evolve between seed sources of widely distributed species that can impact restoration success. Using the herbaceous perennial Geum triflorum (Pursh) as a model species, we examine genetic differences that evolve across a species’ range in both physiology and fitness. G. triflorum occurs across highly differentiated environments consisting of prairie and alvar habitats. Seeds were collected from 22 populations across three eco-geographic regions. Through a common garden experiment in the prairie environment, I first examined differences in physiological traits between source regions and populations. Significant regional differentiation was observed for a majority of traits assessed, with equal or greater trait variation observed at the population scale. Secondly, differences in fitness between source regions were assessed over a period of three years using the ASTER model. Despite being in the home environment, fitness was considerably lower in prairie-sourced plants than alvar sourced plants, both each year and in total.