Abstract Detail

Biogeography

Konrade, Lauren [1], Shaw, Joey [2], Beck, James [1].

Evaluating range genetics in black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) with an expansive set of herbarium specimens.

To date no study has addressed basic range-genetics hypotheses in a widespread eastern North American plant species with a truly comprehensive set of samples. These hypotheses include isolation by distance, the number/location of major genetic discontinuities, and the comparative amounts of genetic diversity in glaciated/unglaciated regions. While certain studies have analyzed large sets of samples, these are typically drawn from a relatively small number of locations and/or from a subset of the total species range. This lack of sampling is due to feasibility – the time and expense involved in fieldwork of this scale quickly becomes limiting. We therefore know relatively little about the geographic structure of genetic variation in widespread North American plant species, among them economically important forest trees. We aim to test basic range-genetics hypotheses in eastern black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh. susp. serotina), a widespread eastern North American forest tree that is important both ecologically and as a timber source. Eastern black cherry’s range covers much of the eastern half of North America, and densely field-collecting samples across this expansive area is simply not feasible. However, we will bypass this limitation by extracting DNA from ca. 500 herbarium specimens representing all portions of the P. serotina range. Our work thus far demonstrates that microsatellite loci can be routinely genotyped in ca. 90% of specimens collected since 1925, and our current sample set includes 266 samples obtained from 12 herbaria during 2014. Preliminary analysis of microsatellite variation in these specimens indicate a significant but extremely weak pattern of isolation by distance, suggesting that large-scale gene flow is a powerful homogenizing force in P. sertoina. These and other analyses will be discussed.

1 - Wichita State University, Biological Sciences, 1845 Fairmount St., 537 Hubbard Hall, Wichita, KS, 67260, USA
2 - University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga, Department Of Biological And Envoronmental Science, Dept 2653, 615 Mccallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37403-2598, USA

Keywords:
Prunus serotina
Isolation by distance
microsatellite
herbarium specimen.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 59
Location: Salon 3/The Shaw Conference Centre
Date: Wednesday, July 29th, 2015
Time: 8:30 AM
Number: 59003
Abstract ID:229
Candidate for Awards:None