Presentation Title
Inferring the demographic history of red spruce (Picea rubens) from chloroplast genome sequences
Abstract
Since the last glacial maxima, climate change has had a profound impact on the distribution and abundance of species. This is especially true of endemic or regionally restricted species like red spruce (Picea rubens), which has experienced a drastic decline in both population size and genetic diversity. As these measures are both important indicators of future population resilience, understanding the demographic history of red spruce is essential for assessing the long-term stability of the species in eastern North America. With the goal of informing ongoing conservation efforts, I am using chloroplast genome sequence data to address the following objectives: (a) to perform Bayesian Coalescent analyses to estimate changes in effective population size since the last glacial maximum; (b) to analyze measures of genetic variation to determine how genetic structure of the chloroplast genome varies across the current range; and (c) to use haplotypes to investigate potential introgression with black spruce (Picea mariana) in certain regions. From the unique perspective of the haploid, non-recombinant, and paternally-inherited chloroplast genome, I hope to address a major question in how climate change impacts population size and genetic diversity of species, painting a better picture of red spruce population dynamics.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Stephen Keller
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Stephen Keller, Thibaut Capblancq
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Plant Biology
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Inferring the demographic history of red spruce (Picea rubens) from chloroplast genome sequences
Since the last glacial maxima, climate change has had a profound impact on the distribution and abundance of species. This is especially true of endemic or regionally restricted species like red spruce (Picea rubens), which has experienced a drastic decline in both population size and genetic diversity. As these measures are both important indicators of future population resilience, understanding the demographic history of red spruce is essential for assessing the long-term stability of the species in eastern North America. With the goal of informing ongoing conservation efforts, I am using chloroplast genome sequence data to address the following objectives: (a) to perform Bayesian Coalescent analyses to estimate changes in effective population size since the last glacial maximum; (b) to analyze measures of genetic variation to determine how genetic structure of the chloroplast genome varies across the current range; and (c) to use haplotypes to investigate potential introgression with black spruce (Picea mariana) in certain regions. From the unique perspective of the haploid, non-recombinant, and paternally-inherited chloroplast genome, I hope to address a major question in how climate change impacts population size and genetic diversity of species, painting a better picture of red spruce population dynamics.