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Should We Use Wild-Collected Ecotypes or Cultivars for Prairie
Restoration? An Experimental Test
David GibsonDepartment of Plant Biology, Center for Ecology
SIUC
© Photos: DJ Gibson unless indicated otherwise
@DavidJohnGibson
Slideshare: http://bit.ly/1MyBXUa
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Outline• North American Tallgrass
Prairie• Restoration Issues• Three Experiments To Test
Seed Source Effects• Take Home Messages
Photo: Laurel Wilson
Should We Use Wild-Collected Ecotypes or Cultivars for Prairie Restoration?
Spoiler: Either, but be careful.Slideshare: http://bit.ly/1MyBXUa
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(Packard and Mutel 1997)
There Used to be a Lot of Tallgrass Prairie
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Prairie Fire and Buffalo Stampede by William Jacob Hays
The Gathering of the herds by William Jacob Hays [American Painter, 1830-1875]
It May Have Looked
Something Like This
https://americangallery19th.wordpress.com/2010/12/18/william-jacob-hays-1830-1875/
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Most Of It Is Now Gone
North America 34,900,000 ha to <63,000 ha*
Illinois 8,900,000 ha to <1000 ha**
(* Whitney 1994, ** Robertson and Schwartz 1994)
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Reasons For Loss• Habitat destruction• Fragmentation• Lack of Natural Disturbances
(e.g. fire and large free roaming herbivores)
(Team Of Oxen Plowing The Prairie. Harvey Dunn 1884-1952)
https://americangallery.wordpress.com/2010/02/01/harvey-dunn-1884-1952/
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http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a10799/
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Solutions?• Tallgrass Prairie Restoration
Movement• Limited Data• Management practices • Biotic & Abiotic filters• Seed Source Issues
http://inhfblog.org/2013/10/25/inhf-in-action-staff-seed-harvest/
(don’t forget today’s native plant sale)
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“If competition is an important determinant of plant community structure, then the competitive ability of the dominant species will influence the entire community.”*
Problem: Choice of dominant species seed sources (local, non-local, and cultivar) could effect the successof restoration / conservation efforts.
*Tilman 1988
Seed Source Issues
What is the provenance?Does it matter?
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Prairie grass cultivars: artificially selected for “agronomic” traits.
Reduced phenotypic variation
Cultivars are genetically distinct from natural populations
Cultivars are physiologically different when compared between native vs. restored prairie
Seed Source: Artificial Cultivars vs. Natural Selected Genotypes
http://iowawhitetail.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13362&page=2 Photo: SG Bear
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Cultivars Look Different
Shizachyrium scoparium cultivarshttp://grasstrials.com/2013/03/25/university-of-vermont/
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• Adapted to local conditions = Ecotypes
• Presumed to establish better, provision resources to higher trophic levels at the most appropriate time, and restore biotic interactions.
• Minimize evolutionary risk to local populations
• outbreeding depression• loss of local adaptation
Rationale for Using ‘Local’ Sources
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• Difficult to define “local”• Vary with life history traits• Genetic variation can correspond with
environmental variation at small scales.
• Small local populations can harbor low genetic diversity
• May not be best adapted to degraded conditions or future conditions
• Limited knowledge • Few tests of ecotypic variation in species
used to restore communities• Ecological consequences unknown
Controversy about ‘Local’ Sources
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11.906 9.045 6.184 3.323 0.462
T*GC*MB
WS RestoredBFMGLIW
D RemnantSWH'K'
'R' Cultivar'P'Konza
Euclidean Distance based on RAPDs
Andropogon gerardii Varies Genetically in IL
(Gustafson et al., J. Applied Ecology 2004)
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Lesica & Allendorf (1999) Restoration Ecology
Size of disturbancesmall large
Degr
ee o
f dist
urba
nce
low
high
Culti
vars
“Local” genotypes
GenotypicMixtures
Recommendations?
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1) Southern Illinois Cultivar Experiment: Effect of Seed Source of Dominant Grasses on an
Experimental Restoration
Photo: SG Bear
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Experimental Design
23 m
7 m
Split Plot Design
Whole plot factor:Dominant C4 grass source (n=6/source)
CultivarNon-cultivar
Subplot factor:Species pool (n=12/pool)
A BC
Block
ABC 25 m2
Used multiple species pools and sites to elucidate whether ecological consequences of using cultivars is generalizable. Photo: SG Bear
5 m
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Species Pool A Species Pool B Species Pool CNon-legume forbs Non-legume forbs
Non-legume forbs
Asclepias tuberosa* Achillea millefolium Symphyotrichum oolentangiense*
Asclepias verticillata Asclepias syriaca Heliopsis helianthoides
Symphyotrichum oblongifolium Echinacea purpurea Brickellia eupatoroides
Callirhoe involucrata Eupatorium altissimum Monarda fistulosa
Delphinium carolininaum* Liatris pycnostachya Penstemon digitalis
Oenothera macrocarpa Oenothera biennis Rudbeckia hirta
Ratibida pinnata Ruellia humilis Silphium laciniatum
Rosa arkansana* Silphium integrifolium Solidago speciosa
Packera plattensis* Solidago rigida Vernonia fasciculataC3 Grass
C3 Grass
C3 Grass
Elymus canadensis Koeleria macrantha Agrostis hyemalis
C4 Grass C4 Grass C4 Grass
Sporobolus heterolepis* Bouteloua curtipendula Panicum virgatum
Legumes Legumes Legumes
Baptisia alba var. macrophylla Amorpha canescens* Astragalus canadensis*
Chamaecrista fasciculata Dalea candida* Baptisia bracteata
Mimosa microphylla* Desmanthus illinoensis Lespedeza capitata
Psoralidium tenuiflorum Desmodium illinoense Dalea purpurea
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Photo: Alison Lambert
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Photos: Alison Lambert
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Klopf & Baer 2011Restoration Ecology
“Enhanced” Traits of C4 Grass Cultivars Maintained in Restorations
A. gerardiiS. nutans
S. scoparium
Lambert et al. 2011Restoration Ecology
* Interaction with time, cultivars same or higher Anet
*
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(Gibson et al 2012 Journal of Vegetation Science)
Temporal Patterns ‘As Expected’
Photo: Alison Lambert
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2006 2007 2008 2009
Tota
l AN
PP
(g m
-2 y
-1)
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
2000
CultivarLocal ecotype
A
B
2006 2007 2008 2009
Pla
nted
AN
PP
(g m
-2 y
-1)
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400Year effect:
P<0.001
2006 2007 2008 2009
Vol
unte
er A
NP
P (g
m-2
y-1
)
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
2006 2007 2008 20090
400
800
1200
1600
ab
b
c
2006 2007 2008 20090
400
800
1200
1600
c
d
ba
Year effect:
P < 0.001
2006 2007 2008 20090
400
800
1200
1600
c
a
b
a
C
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4
Year effect:
P<0.001
CultivarLocal ecotype
CultivarLocal ecotype
Baer et al. 2014 Evolutionary Applications
Aboveground Net Primary Productivity
Increased But No Population Source
Effect
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(Willand et al 2014 Journal of Vegetation Science)
Seed, Seedling, Vegetative Growth of C4 grasses Depends More on Sp. Pool than Pop. Source
Seedlings
Ramets
Seed Rain
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Declines in Species Richness Unrelated to Population Source Except in 2nd Year
Gibson et al. 2013 Journal of Vegetation Science
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Species Richness Most Strongly Related to Species Pools
Gibson et al. 2013 Journal of Vegetation Science
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Community Composition Related to Species Pool not Population Source
Effect of species pool (ANOSIM R=0.44, P < 0.0001)
Gibson et al. 2013 Journal of Vegetation Science
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Species Phylogenetics: Does it show a Population Source Effect?
Khalil et al., in review
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Phylogenetic Clustering Related to Population Sources
Khalil et al., in review
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2) Does location matter: Regional Cultivar Experiment
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Konza Prairie (2006-2010) Belleville, IL (2006-2010)
Higher Cover of Grasses in Cultivar PlotsOver Time in Kansas but not Illinois
a-d time effect within source* difference between sources within a year
Klopf et al. 2014 Environmental Management
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Belleville, IL (2006-2010)Konza Prairie (2006-2010)
Limited Effects of Population Source on Diversity in Kansas and Illinois
Klopf et al. 2014 Environmental Management
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3) Forget Cultivars: Reciprocal Transplant Ecotype Experiment
Photo: Laurel Wilson
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Subordinate Species Dominant Species
Wilson et al. 2016 Ecosphere
Home-site advantage: Dominants best ‘at home’, subordinates worst with ‘home’ dominants
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Outline• North American Tallgrass
Prairie• Restoration Issues• Three Experiments To Test
Seed Source Effects• Take Home Messages
Photo: Laurel Wilson
Should We Use Wild-Collected Ecotypes or Cultivars for Prairie Restoration?
Spoiler: Either, but be careful.Slideshare: http://bit.ly/1MyBXUa
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Conclusions: Should We Use Wild-Collected Ecotypes or Cultivars for Prairie Restoration?
• ‘Local’ cultivars of dominant grasses suitable for restoration.• Limited effect of population source, short-lived, geographically
variable.• Species pool (species mix) effects stronger.• Origin of cultivars can be geographically close to local ecotypes;
similar genetic diversity. • Ecotypes exhibit ‘home-site’ advantage.
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Future Challenges
• Climate change • Local may not be best• Plasticity, migration,
adaptation• Seed storage capacity(Adapted from Havens et al. 2015)
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Acknowledgements
• Sara Baer (SIUC)• Loretta Johnson (KSU)• Mohammed Khalil, Ryan Klopf, Alison
Lambert, Lewis Reed, Jason Willand, Ben Wodika, Laurel Wilson
• Gibson & Baer labs
@[email protected]
Slideshare: http://bit.ly/1MyBXUa
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Slideshare: http://bit.ly/1MyBXUa