Session: Genetic considerations in native plant materials development and use
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Ballroom 1
Andrea Kramer, Moderator
10:00 a.m.
Defining restoration success and the role genetics plays in getting there
Deborah L. Rogers
Presentation (PDF)
The use of ‘genetically appropriate’ plant materials for restoration projects is now a widely accepted principle in restoration science and practice. However, this principle still resists the development of clear, robust, and user-friendly rules for restoration. This presentation will revisit the importance of genetic considerations in restoration (and when genetics may not be important), the consequences of poor genetic choices, and the reasons that guiding principles rather than rules are more valuable and effective.
Deborah Rogers is the Director of Conservation Science for the Center for Natural Lands Management, a nonprofit organization based in California that owns and manages nature preserves that provide habitat for threatened and endangered species. Dr. Rogers’ research has focused on the genetic diversity of native plant species and better understanding how to conserve that diversity to support adaptation and species longevity. Formerly a research geneticist with the University of California’s Genetic Resources Conservation Program, she also founded and directs the Monterey Pine Forest Ecology Cooperative, a nonpolitical forum for transferring scientific information to management and regulation of coastal California forest ecosystems. Her expertise on these topics has been valued internationally. She is an Associate Editor of the Native Plants Journal, an associate with the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of California, Davis, and a frequent collaborator and consultant with land management and regulatory agencies.
10:30 a.m.
The role genetics plays in seedling establishment in invaded systems
Elizabeth Leger
Presentation (PDF)
Seeds used for restoration in arid and semi-arid climates face many challenges to establishment, including climatic fluctuations and biotic interactions, as well as competition with invasive plants. The research in my lab focuses on the question: can we improve restoration in the Great Basin by finding seeds that are well adapted to growing in disturbed and invaded environments? Using both field and greenhouse studies, we take an applied evolutionary approach to addressing how plant genotypes affect restoration, focusing on both native perennial grasses and native annual forbs. We have found evidence that some native perennial grasses growing in areas invaded with cheatgrass are more successful at tolerating cheatgrass competition and suppressing cheatgrass biomass than plants from nearby uninvaded areas. Second, we have found considerable variation for competitive ability with invaders between species, populations, and among individual plants within populations. Additionally, we have identified specific traits that improve survival performance in the greenhouse and in the field, including root traits, shifts towards early phenology, and decreased plant size. The variation in performance even within populations of a single species is striking, and our results suggest that restoration success could be improved by selecting particularly competitive native species, populations or genotypes for use in highly disturbed systems. We recommend screening the performance of potential restoration material in wild-land trials, and recommend the selection of plants for restoration that can perform well in both agricultural settings and in harsh restoration sites.
Elizabeth Leger has been an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Reno since 2006. Her research focuses on applied evolutionary questions in the Great Basin, working on both invasive and native plant species. She did post-doctoral work at Stony Brook University focusing on herbivory, nutrients, and forest invasions and received a PhD in Ecology from UC Davis in 2004, where she looked at the effects of evolutionary shifts on the success of invasive species. Current work is focused on determining a) the role of local adaptation in determining the range of cheatgrass in the Great Basin and b) whether rapid evolutionary change in native populations can be used to improve restoration efforts in arid and disturbed regions of the Great Basin.
11:00 a.m.
Manipulating plasticity to increase native seed success
Erin Espeland
Presentation (PDF)
The growing environment of maternal plants has a large effect on the performance of offspring. Maternal plants grown in shade often produce shade-tolerant offspring, and maternal plants grown in highly competitive environments often produce seed that does better under competition (i.e. faster germination and growth) compared to seed produced from non-competitive environments. Drought and herbivory tolerance has also been shown to be maternally transmitted, where stressed mothers produce stress tolerant offspring. Therefore, production conditions for native seed may affect seed performance in wildland conditions: seeds produced in fertilized, weeded, and well-watered conditions may perform less well in wildlands compared to seeds produced in a more stressful environment. If we investigate the prevalence of maternal effects in restoration species, we may find that we can maximize native seed performance by manipulating the production environment.
After eight years of working in rare plant conservation with a variety of species, Erin attended San Jose State University in CA for a Master’s degree on ecotypic variation in California poppy (Eschscholzia californica). In her PhD program at UC Davis, she focused on how the biology of plant growth, mediated by ecological processes (plant neighbors and soil fertility), actually affects evolution within plant populations. She also did some research on the continuing invasion of barbed goatgrass (Aegilops triuncialis) in California. After receiving her PhD, Erin went to work for Dr. Elizabeth Leger in the Natural Resources and Environmental Science department of University of Nevada, Reno. There, she did research on cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) adaptation to high elevation, adaptation of native plant species to cheatgrass competition, facilitative plant-plant interactions in seedlings, post-fire restoration seeding success, and dryland agricultural field restoration. In her current position with the USDA, she works as a restoration ecologist, focusing on how noxious weed removal affects native plant establishment and restoration success.
11:30 a.m.
Applying genetic considerations in revegetation practice for increased project success
Matthew Horning
Presentation (PDF)
Designed for land managers, this presentation will highlight how theoretical genetic concepts can be successfully incorporated into revegetation practice. Specifically, the application of genetic principals will be discussed in the context of a native plants program infrastructure. Genetic principals are essential to a successful native plant program and are relevant for seed collection, cleaning, grow out, and installation. Examples from the USFS Pacific Northwest Region native plants program will be presented as a template for revegetation success.
Matt Horning is an Eastern Oregon Area geneticist with the USFS PNW Region stationed at the Deschutes National Forest in Bend, OR. His primary role is to provide guidance to land managers on the use of genetically appropriate plants in restoration activities in eastern Oregon, but also consults broadly with natural resource specialists throughout the western US. Much of his work is focused on creating seed transfer guidelines in cooperation with multiple collaborators for native grasses and shrubs planted on arid lands. Matt received his PhD. from Washington State University - Pullman in 2003. Following graduate school he worked as a post-doctorate researcher with Dr. Rich Cronn at the USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis, Oregon.
