Abstract Detail

Hybrids and Hybridization

O'Connell, Leandra [1], Mitchell, Nora [2], Turner, Kathryn G [3].

Patterns of hybridization in the Asteraceae family detected through systematic review of the primary literature.

Hybridization in plants is an evolutionary process that can be linked to speciation, adaptive radiation, extinction, range expansion, invasiveness, and trait diversity. Therefore, hybridization is an important ecological and evolutionary process to understand for the future of agriculture and conservation in the age of climate change. However, hybridization frequency across taxonomic groups and the mechanisms behind hybridization are still largely unknown. Through an extensive data and metadata investigation into the primary literature investigating traits such as life history, growth form, and geographic distribution, my research seeks to extrapolate patterns of hybridization in the largest flowering plant family, Asteraceae. This investigation will aid in understanding the taxonomic patterns underlying hybridization in the Asteraceae family while also informing future research to support proposed mechanisms of hybridization. Thus far, the primary literature has yielded 431 distinct interspecific hybrids with varying degrees of information on trait data and hybridization evidence. In terms of life history an estimated 65% of species in Asteraceae are perennial, 21% annual and 14% both, whereas 83% have an herbaceous growth habit and 17% are woody. These whole family values will be compared against percentages of hybrids associated with these traits to detect trait patterns taxonomically as well as to identify which traits may be related to hybridization throughout the Asteraceae family.

1 - University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Department of Biology, 651 University Drive, 330 Phillips Hall, Eau Claire, WI, 54701, USA
2 - University Of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Department Of Biology, 651 University Drive, 330 Phillips Hall, Eau Claire, WI, 54701, United States
3 - Idaho State University, Ecological Genomics & Invasion Biology, Life Sciences 441 & 432, Pocatello, ID, 83209, USA

Keywords:
hybrid
hybridization
Asteraceae
Aster.

Presentation Type: Poster
Number: PHH001
Abstract ID:62
Candidate for Awards:None