Abstract Detail

Population Genetics

Fuller , Ryan Scott [1], McGlaughlin, Mitchell E. [2].

Genetic Studies of the Mariposa Lily (Calochortus gunnisonii): An Investigation of Potential Plant Population Divergence and Speciation Mechanisms .

A primary goal of evolutionary biology is to comprehend the mechanisms creating species diversity. Peripatric speciation suggests that species arise when small populations become isolated from an ancestral population and differentiate due to no or limited gene flow. Calochortus gunnisonii (Liliaceae) resides within the Rocky Mountain Range and small satellite ranges within Wyoming and South Dakota. It can be found on grassy hillsides, open coniferous woods, moist meadows, and dry gulches at high elevations from Montana to New Mexico. This research seeks to genetically investigate isolated populations of C. gunnisonii residing in the peripheral mountain ranges of Wyoming and South Dakota relative to the core distribution in the Rocky Mountains. Using a varied set of molecular data, we can examine genetic patterns of divergence resulting from the balance between isolation and gene flow among populations. Sampling has included populations from the contiguous range within the Rocky Mountains as well as disjunct populations within the Wyoming and South Dakota regions. Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) sequencing has provided evidence indicating glacial refugia may be present in the lower elevation ranges of South-central Wyoming. Populations of the Black Hills, Big Horn Mountains, and Colorado Rocky Mountains do not show divergence in their cpDNA sequences, suggesting a recently large colonization event. Furthermore, sequence data suggests that peripatry may not be the driving force in the observed divergence, but rather ecological differences between elevations in these ranges. 

1 - 929 16th St. Apt. D, Greeley, CO, 80631, USA
2 - University Of Northern Colorado, 501 20th St, Box 92, Greeley, CO, 80639, USA

Keywords:
Calochortus
Chloroplast DNA
refugia
ecological divergence.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Eyrie/Boise Centre
Date: Monday, July 28th, 2014
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PPG003
Abstract ID:530
Candidate for Awards:None