Progress 12/15/05 to 12/15/06
Outputs
During the summer of 2006, tissue samples were collected from the remaining essential populations. The tissue collections for this project are complete. All of the necessary genomic DNA isolations are finished. We have successfully identified 8 nuclear microsatellite loci and 6 cpDNA loci that are variable. We are currently focusing our efforts on genotyping individuals. Additionally, we are writing a second publication on the molecular portion of this project on the isolation and characterization of the 8 unique nuclear microsatellite loci. The 2nd year (final) measurements were completed at the Corvallis common garden site. We are still analyzing photographs from the first year to get a better understanding of growth rhythm. Flowering and growth were measured again at the two central Oregon common garden sites (year 3). Preliminary analyses are underway on the common garden data. Location differences are present. Growth rate and form variation is mapped to the
landscape, but not as strong as some "specialists species" of forest trees. There are also differences in leaf color and plant health that appear to be tied to the collection site. This coming year we hope to get better data on flowering and seed shatter dates to see whether the shatter dates found during field collection are correlated with shatter dates in the common garden. This will answer the question of whether shatter date variation is genetic or environmental.
Impacts
1) Provide land managers with scientifically based seed movement guidelines for a key restoration species, thus improving the likelihood of successful establishment in arid ecosystems; 2) Determine the efficacy of the forest tree model in developing seed transfer guidelines for arid zone shrubs and potentially provide a framework for developing seed movement guidelines for other restoration species. 3) Improve our understanding of the impact that seed movement plays, and has played, in restoration practices, thereby enabling managers to understand the risks of using non-local seed sources.
Publications
- Horning, ME and RC Cronn. 2006. Length polymorphism scanning is an efficient approach for revealing chloroplast DNA variation. Genome 49: 134-142.
- Johnson, GR and PC Berrang. 2007. Seed Shatter Dates of Bitterbrush in Oregon. Rangeland Ecology and Management 60 (1): 99-103.
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Progress 12/15/04 to 12/14/05
Outputs
This project is finishing its first of three years. In the first year, growth data was collected from three study sites, two in central Oregon (planted in 2004) and one in western Oregon (planted in 2005). The western Oregon site was established to obtained more-detailed data on first year growth rhythms on 220 accessions, while the central Oregon sites will provide longer-term growth and flowering data on 120 accessions. Unfortunately poor field germination at the central Oregon sites reduced the number of accessions with sufficient plant numbers (>10 at a site) to 135, where there were initially 320. Significant seed source differences in growth pattern and seed germination were found in the 2004 measurements and 2005 germination data. First-year growth and form were associated with summer temperatures at their Oregon collection locations to some degree (r = 0.30 to 0.58). The 2005 measurements are currently being analyzed. During the summer of 2005, tissue
collections were made at 173 localities totaling 3453 samples. From these samples, we isolated Genomic DNA from 760 individuals representing 38 localities. We have begun characterizing nSSR loci isolated from nine genomic libraries. We have sequenced 334 bacterial colonies, 81 contained an SSR repeat motif. To date, we have characterized 79 unique nSSR loci that may be useful and will undergo further analysis. In a publication identifying cytoplasmic variation (Horning and Cronn 2005, In press for Genome) we identified nine cpDNA haplotypes in 17 accessions. Additionally, we have identified six chloroplast SSR loci that yielded seven haplotypes for nine accessions. Current efforts are focused on identifying the nSSR and cpDNA loci necessary for the final analysis.
Impacts
1) Provide land managers with scientifically based seed movement guidelines for a key restoration species, thus improving the likelihood of successful establishment in arid ecosystems; 2) Determine the efficacy of the forest tree model in developing seed transfer guidelines for arid zone shrubs and potentially provide a framework for developing seed movement guidelines for other restoration species. 3) Improve our understanding of the impact that seed movement plays, and has played, in restoration practices, thereby enabling managers to understand the risks of using non-local seed sources.
Publications
- Horning, ME and RC Cronn. 2006. Length polymorphism scanning is an efficient approach for revealing chloroplast DNA variation. Genome (in press).
- Johnson, GR and PC Berrang. 2006. Seed Shatter Dates of Antelope Bitterbrush in Oregon. Rangeland Ecology and Management (submitted).
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