LTREB Renewal: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: The Interplay of Genetic and Numerical Dynamics in Severely Fragmented Prairie Populations of Echinacea angustifolia

This project investigates the interactions of demography and genetics in remnant populations of a prairie plant that serves as a model for advancing understanding of the roles of these interactions in evolutionary change and persistence of populations in changing and fragmented habitats. Echinacea angustifolia, a long-lived perennial plant, was once abundant in the plains and prairies of the United States but now is confined to small remnants of prairie following extensive conversion of land to agriculture. Genetic composition of E. angustifolia populations affects their demography, which in turn influences evolutionary change in genetics and ecology. These feedbacks are critical to the persistence and ongoing evolution of the plant. This project will continue annual censuses of all life stages of E. angustifolia within a 6400 hectare area in Minnesota and will monitor plants in three experiments that are designed to 1) reveal divergence among remnant populations in health, survival, and reproduction of individuals, 2) show how inbreeding and gene flow between remnants affect progeny fitness, and 3) assess the potential of fragmented populations to adapt to ongoing environmental change.

This project is elucidating the interplay of evolutionary and ecological processes to improve understanding of persistence and adaptation in changing environmental conditions. Results from this project inform the conservation and management of long-lived native plants in fragmented habitat and provide tools for analyzing demographic and genetic processes in other populations.