Abstract Detail

Lightning Talks – Germinating Ideas

Krupar, Shelby [1], Godden, Grant [2], Childs, Kevin [3], Cellinese, Nico [4].

Genetic Diversity and Spatial Genetic Structure of Guzmania monostachia (Bromeliaceae) in Florida.

Bromeliaceae are a neotropical plant family consisting of around 3140 species in eight traditional subfamilies. The subject of my research is the genus Guzmania Ruiz & Pav., specifically the Florida native species Guzmania monostachia (L.) Rusby ex Mez, of subfamily Tillandsioideae. In 1989, an invasive bromeliad-eating weevil, Metamasius callizona Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), was introduced into Florida from Mexico, endangering most of Florida’s native bromeliads, including G. monostachia. In this poster, I will introduce my research on the population genetics and genetic structure of G. monostachia in Florida and present the phylogenies of Guzmania that I have constructed. Additionally, I will present the preliminary findings of the genome I have constructed for G. monostachia. This genome will be used to map reads generated from accessions collected from populations across Florida and the rest of the range of G. monostachia, to generate a large and high quality dataset of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for my future population level analyses. The reference genome I will generate for G. monostachia will greatly benefit future phylogenomic studies of Tillandsioideae, since there is not yet a reference genome for a member of this subfamily; it will serve as an important resource for comparative studies of bromeliad genomes and development of probe sets for phylogenomic studies. My population research is desperately needed to assess the full impact of M. callizona on G. monostachia populations in Florida, as well as to identify sources of population-level diversity that may be important for future pest-mitigation and targeted conservation efforts.

1 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, 356 Dickinson Hall, 1659 Museum Rd., Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
2 - University Of Florida, Florida Museum Of Natural History, 1659 Museum Rd, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States
3 - Michigan State University , Department of Plant Biology, 612 Wilson Rd, Room 166, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
4 - University Of Florida, FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NAT. HISTORY, 1659 Museum Rd, 354 Dickinson Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, United States

Keywords:
Bromeliaceae
genome assembly
population genomics
genome resequencing
phylogenomics.

Presentation Type: Germinating Ideas Lightning Talk
Number: LT2015
Abstract ID:733
Candidate for Awards:None