| Abstract Detail
Population Genetics/Genomics Ross, Gillian [1], Philpott, Megan [2]. Quantification of Genetic Diversity of Ohio’s Lakeside Daisy Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Molecular Markers. Human expansion and development drives biodiversity loss, especially for rare plants with specific habitat needs. The Lakeside daisy (Tetraneuris herbacea) is a rare, federally threatened species found mainly in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Canada’s Bruce Peninsula. The bright yellow perennial inhabits barren limestone and was listed as threatened in 1988 due to habitat destruction. Most of Ohio’s Lakeside daisies were historically located on the Marblehead Peninsula of the Lake Erie shoreline in Lafarge Quarry, an active limestone quarry, which emphasizes the threat of habitat loss. Population decline due to habitat destruction is confounded by the species’ genetic self-incompatibility mechanism. Self-incompatibility prevents reproduction with relatives, but also increases the extinction risk of small populations. Current conservation efforts by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and USFWS include collecting seeds from the natural Lafarge Quarry populations and translocating them to introduced populations on Kelleys Island. The USFWS 2016 Five Year Review suggests that the lack of genetic diversity within Lakeside daisy populations is one obstacle preventing the successful establishment of introduced populations. Little is known about the genetic diversity of Lakeside daisy populations. In this study, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) molecular markers were used to characterize the genetic diversity of the Lafarge Quarry and Kelleys Island Lakeside daisy populations. Preliminary results report overall low number of alleles and effective alleles in Lakeside daisy populations. Number of effective alleles was higher in the natural populations than in the introduced populations (1.12 and 1.07, respectively). Expected heterozygosity was below 0.17 for all populations but was slightly higher in the Kelleys Island region than the Lafarge Quarry region (0.10 and 0.09, respectively). Shannon’s Information Index was 0.25 or lower for all populations, indicating highly uneven diversity. Regional comparisons show evenness is about 0.15 for both areas. The majority of variance is found within populations; with variance among populations and regions contributing less than 6% of the total molecular variation. Within the natural populations, Lafarge Quarry Population 2 showed the highest values for number of effective alleles (1.22) and expected heterozygosity (0.16). Within the introduced populations, Kelleys Island Population 8 exhibited the highest value for number of effective alleles (0.15) and the second highest value for expected heterozygosity (0.12). The higher levels of genetic diversity shown by Lafarge Quarry Population 2 and Kelleys Island Population 8 suggest that these populations may serve well as source populations to increase the genetic diversity of other natural and introduced Lakeside daisy populations. The overall lack of genetic diversity in Lakeside daisy populations presents a great threat to the long-term survival of the species. The high percentage of variance within populations, not among populations, shows that outcrossing has been hindered, likely by habitat fragmentation. Low heterozygosity reveals that populations are at risk of declining as inbreeding is prevented by self-incompatibility mechanisms. The results of this study indicate the urgent need to increase genetic diversity within these Lakeside daisy populations to guarantee the long-term survival of this rare plant species.
1 - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife, 3400 Vine St, Cincinnati, OH, 45220, USA
2 - Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, CREW, 3400 Vine St., Cincinnati, OH, 45220, United States
Keywords:
AFLP
Lakeside daisy
Genetic diversity.
Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PPG007
Abstract ID:728
Candidate for Awards:None |
