The Science Behind the Selection of Native Plant Materials

Alexis GibsonDissertation Defense

May 2015

Ecological Restoration

• Background on local adapation - conceptual

Based on work by Clausen, Keck and Hiesey

Local Adaptation

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Local Adaptation

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Local Adaptation

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Wright, Stanton, Scherson 2006

NORMAL HEAVY METALS

DISTANCE

CLIMATE SOILSDISTANCE

CLIMATE SOILS

DISTURBANCE

DISTANCE

CLIMATE

SOILS

DISTURBANCE

DISTANCE

PLANT COMMUNITY

PLANT COMMUNITY SOIL BIOTA

PLANT COMMUNITY SOIL BIOTAMUTUALISTS

PLANT COMMUNITY SOIL BIOTAMUTUALISTS

PATHOGENS

PLANT COMMUNITY SOIL BIOTAMUTUALISTS

PATHOGENS HERBIVORES

1 2 3 1 2 3

Bischoff et al. 2006

1 2 3 1 2 3

Bischoff et al. 2006

1 2 3 1 2 3

Bischoff et al. 2006

Polyploidy

Diploid = 2x

Polyploidy

Triploid = 3x Tetraploid = 4xDiploid = 2x

Cytotype

• An individual of a species with a different ploidy than another

Diploid (2x)

Tetraploid(4x)

Polyploidy

• 13% species have multiple cytotypes (Severns et al. 2006)

• Crosses between cytotypes reduce population fitness• Diploid (2x) x Tetraploid (4x) = Triploid (3x)

2x-2x 4x-4x 2x-4x 0

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TRIPLOIDS (3x)

Adapted from Needham and Erickson 1992

3x seeds often aborted

2x 4x 3x0

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Adapted from Burton and Husband 2000

3x plants have low fitness

Local adaptation and native plant materials selection

How informative is local adaptation literature for restoration?

Literature review

Local adaptation and native plant materials selection

Do native species respond to invasion by spotted knapweed?

Greenhouse experiment

Local adaptation and native plant materials selection

Considerations for seed transfer

How does polyploidy interact with seed transfer guidelines?

Flow cytometry and common garden

Considerations for seed transfer

Which seed transfer zone works best in Montana and Idaho?

Common garden and model comparison

Considerations for seed transfer

Integrating Literature and Management• Mismatch between research and

restoration conditions

• Short time spans

• Limited information on germination and emergence

Response to Invasion

Leger 2008Experienced Naïve

Steven Dewey

Bluebunch wheatgrassPseudoroegneria spicata

Spotted knapweedCentaurea stoebe

Experienced Naïve0

102030405060708090

100

Mt Jumbo

Experienced Naïve0

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100Bison Range

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Adapted from Callaway et al. 2005

Lesica and Atthowe 2007

ExperiencedNaïveGoldar

Lesica and Atthowe 2007

ExperiencedNaïveGoldar

TOLERANCE

TOLERANCE

SUPPRESSION

Response to Invasion

• Are there population or experience-type differences in:

• Traits• Competitive ability

• Are tolerance and suppression related?

14 wild populations:• 8 invader naïve (IN)• 6 invader experienced (IE)

Cultivar Anatone

Competitive Ability

• Relative Interaction Index (RII)

• Scale from -1 to 1• Negative values: harmed by competition• Positive values: higher biomass with competition

• Tolerance • Knapweed bluebunch• Bluebunch biomass

• Suppression • Bluebunch knapweed• Knapweed biomass

Treatment

Control Invaded

Bio

mas

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2.0

2.5

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4.5**

Treatment

Control Invaded

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mas

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4.5**

Treatment

Control Invaded

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mas

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4.5**

Overall Anatone BL H LH LNF MCL MJ MM PT

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IEIN

Overall Anatone BL H LH LNF MCL MJ MM PT

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IEINExperiencedNaive

Overall Anatone BL H LH LNF MCL MJ MM PT

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lt)

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IEINExperiencedNaive

Suppression

-1.0-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.20.00.2

To

lera

nce

-0.5

-0.4

-0.3

-0.2

-0.1

0.0

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IEIN

Anatone

Suppression

-1.0-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.20.00.2

To

lera

nce

-0.5

-0.4

-0.3

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-0.1

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IEIN

Anatone

Response to Invasion

• Populations vs species• Geographic mosaic (Thompson 1999)

Response to Invasion

• Population vs species

• Anatone vs wild

Response to Invasion

• Population vs species

• Anatone vs wild

• Tolerance vs suppression• Atwater 2014

PART 2:

Considerations for Seed Transfer

Seed Transfer

• Similar enough to prevent negative consequences

• Species-specific data

St Clair et al. 2014

Ploidy and Seed Transfer

• Cytotypes may not segregate by habitat (e.g. Baack 2004)

• Crosses between cytotypes can reduce population fitness

Bower et al. 2014

Bluebunch wheatgrass

• Most populations diploid (2x)

• Tetraploid (4x) in northern range (Larson 2004)

• Commonly used in restoration

What is the frequency and distribution of polyploids?

Are trait differences due to cytotype or ecoregion?

Which provisional transfer zone is best?

Ecoregion

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Ecoregion

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2x M 4x

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Ecoregion

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Ecoregion differences

Polyploidy and Seed Transfer• Polyploidy common in this area

• 60% of populations• Ecoregion

Polyploidy and Seed Transfer• Polyploidy common in this area

• Mixed populations are rare• No 3x individuals

Polyploidy and Seed Transfer• Polyploidy common in this area

• Mixed populations are rare

• Tetraploid-only populations

Which provisional transfer zone is best?

Provisional Transfer Zones

Target population

Provisional Transfer Zones

Target population

Level IIIecoregion

Provisional Transfer Zones

Target population

Climate

Level IIIecoregion

Provisional Transfer Zones

Target population

Climate

Level III ecoregion

Climate within ecoregion

CLIMATE CLIMATE within ECOREGION

CLIMATE CLIMATE within ECOREGION

Seed SetMortality

CLIMATE CLIMATE within ECOREGION

2011 Height2012 CircumferenceFinal Biomass

Seed SetMortality

Climate Results• Winter temperatures

• Increased mortality, decreased seed set

• Warm temperature and precipitation

Provisional transfer zones

• Location of research and use• Warm temperatures (Bower et al. 2014)

Provisional transfer zones

• Location of research and use

• “Best” model may depend on traits

Science and Management

1. Availability• Expensive to collect• Limited quantity

2. Necessity not always clear• Higher fitness found 45% of the time (Leimu

and Fischer 2008)• Variation in “genetically appropriate”

Considerations for Prioritizing Local Seed Sources

Invaders

• Primary goal of restoration?

Invaders

• Primary goal of restoration?

• Co-evolution (e.g. Leger and Espeland 2013)

Polyploidy

• Equally important as local adapation

Polyploidy

• Equally important as local adapation

• Difficult to assess in common garden• Flow cytometry

Transfer Zones

• Some species-specific information needed

Transfer Zones

• Some species-specific information needed

• Multiple “best” options for transfer

Acknowledgments

• Committee: Ray Callaway, Lila Fishman, Solomon Dobrowski, Dean Pearson, Elizabeth Crone

• Project Partner: Susan Rinehart, FS Native Plant Program Manager

• Research funded by:• FS Region 1 Native Plant Materials Program • MT EPSCoR Institute on Ecosystems

• Cara Nelson + Nelson Lab

• Bryan + Sully

QUESTIONS?