University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Genetic and Morphological Analyses of White Spruce in North America

Anderson, Lynn Lorraine

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Description

Title
Genetic and Morphological Analyses of White Spruce in North America
Author(s)
Anderson, Lynn Lorraine
Issue Date
2006
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
  • Hu, Feng Sheng
  • Paige, Ken N.
Department of Study
Biology
Discipline
Biology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Biology, Ecology
Language
eng
Abstract
Plant response to climate change can occur through a variety of mechanisms including population migration and phenotypic evolution. The effects of migration are often preserved in genetic patterns of contemporary forests, and can include genetic drift during population fragmentation as well as genetic bottlenecks during founder events. Besides migration, populations often change phenotypically in response to shifting climates. In this study I quantify genetic and morphological patterns of central and western North American white spruce populations. Specifically I have (1) provided evidence supporting Hulten's long standing hypothesis that ice-free areas of Beringia served as northern refugia for arctic and boreal biota during the last Quaternary glaciation using cpDNA markers, (2) provided evidence for multiple refugia in Alaska and uncovered the roles of gene flow and drift in structuring the patterns we see today and (3) teased apart the controlling mechanisms behind morphological expression (genetics, environment, or genetic x environmental interactions) in traits by comparing needle morphologies of common garden and naturally grown individuals.
Graduation Semester
2006
Type of Resource
text
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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/85367

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