Abstract Detail

Lightning Talks – Germinating Ideas

Lang, Angela [1], Messick, Jennifer [2].

Population structure of the gypsophilic Nama stevensii (Family Hydrophyllaceae) in northwestern Oklahoma.

Genetic structure is the amount and distribution of genetic variation within and among populations. It has assisted in determining ecological interactions of the same species. Population structure is an important aspect of evolutionary and population genetics. Events like migrations and interactions between groups leave a genetic imprint on populations and the population structure commonly arises from those geological barriers followed by genetic drift event. Nama stevensii (family Hydrophyllaceae) is a native plant found only on gypsum soil outcrops in several states in the Great Plains region. It can grow up to 10 inches tall, with simple leaves and an inflorescence of small pink to purple flowers. One hundred individual plants were sampled from four individual outcrop areas at Selman Living Laboratory (the University of Central Oklahoma’s field station) in northwestern Oklahoma. Research questions: Is there any subpopulation structuring occurring between each outcrop? How are individuals more related to a separate location than the outcrop area it was found in? These genetic modifications do not necessarily cause observable phenotypic changes in species. However, with analyzing the data, the genetic connections within population structure are evident and give insight on how subpopulations originated. In this study, ddRADseq methods were used to sequence many small to medium length DNA fragments (200 –400 bp) from throughout the genome of Nama stevensii. Population genetic analyses were conducted using the STACKS pipeline, a commonly used program for analyzing within-species ddRADseq data that is capable of assembling a genome without a reference. Population structure was assessed using STRUCTURE, Structure Harvester, and CLUMPAK. Our results indicated evidence for population sub-structuring within the larger Nama stevensii population at the Selman Living Laboratory. Based on the calculated F_ST values, each sub-population found corresponded with the outcrop from which each individual was sampled.

1 - 1604 Ginger Avenue, Moore, OK, 73160, United States
2 - University Of Central Oklahoma, 100 N University Dr, Dept Of Biology, Box 89, 100 N University Dr, Dept Of Biology, Box 89, Edmond, OK, 73034, United States

Keywords:
ddradseq
Nama stevensii
Gypsophilic.

Presentation Type: Germinating Ideas Lightning Talk
Number: LT2006
Abstract ID:187
Candidate for Awards:None