Abstract Detail

Population Genetics

Sidoti, Brian [1], Cameron, Ken [2].

Population genetics of Tillandsia fasciculata (Bromeliaceae) across Florida and the Bahamas: taxonomic and conservation implications.

With over 4,200 native and naturalized plants, Florida is one of the most floristically diverse states in the USA. Habitat loss due to urbanization, agriculture, and tourism threaten Florida’s remaining natural vegetation. Invasive exotic species also endanger Florida’s wildlife. In the early 1990s, the invasive Mexican bromeliad weevil, Metamasius callizona, began to spread throughout southern Florida, attacking its native bromeliads. The decimation of Tillandsia fasiculata by M. callizona resulted in its listing as a state endangered plant in 1998. Genetic data, especially at the population level, are lacking for the T. fasciculata group, but such data are critical for developing and implementing effective conservation measures for this ecologically important plant group. The goals of this study are to 1) examine genetic variation and population structure of the T. fasciculata group in Florida and the Bahamas and 2) evaluate purported parentage of the natural hybrid T. ×floridana. Leaf material was collected across 18 populations from Florida and the Bahamas. Based on eight microsatellite loci, we found high levels of heterozygosity over loci and populations, and low levels of inbreeding per population. At least three population centers/clusters were identified: 1) a T. fasciculata var. densispica f. alba group and purple flowered T. fasciculata var. densispica including individuals in Collier, St. Lucie, and Martin Counties, FL; 2) a southwestern Florida, southern Florida, and Bahamas group; and 3) a T. ×floridana group that forms a genetic population with T. bartramii. Analyses of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed greater variation within populations than among populations. The results of this study will inform park managers and local bromeliad societies about the degree to which cultivated bromeliads represent the genetic diversity of their wild counterparts, and thereby contribute to ex situ conservation efforts.

1 - University Of Wisconsin-Madison, 244 Birge Hall, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706-1381, USA
2 - University Of Wisconsin - Madison, Botany, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

Keywords:
Bromeliaceae
population genetics
microsatellites
Caribbean
Florida.

Presentation Type: Poster
Session: P, Population Genetics Posters
Location: Exhibit Hall/Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 1st, 2016
Time: 5:30 PM This poster will be presented at 5:30 pm. The Poster Session runs from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. Posters with odd poster numbers are presented at 5:30 pm, and posters with even poster numbers are presented at 6:15 pm.
Number: PPG009
Abstract ID:575
Candidate for Awards:None