Ecotypes of native species: How local is local in restoration plantings?
Conference Paper
Development
California, USA
Populations of native species growing in different environments and separate regions are often genetically distinct. These genetic differences should be considered when source material of native species is obtained for restoration and revegetation. We investigated patterns of genetic variation for different types of traits among populations of a popularly planted native grass (Nassella pulchra ), and determined the extent to which local populations of Elymus glaucus, and N. pulchra are better adapted than non local populations. We found strong genetic differences among populations of N. pulchra for both isozyme markers and quantitative traits, but the patterns of genetic differentiation visualized by the two methods were not similar. Thus, management recommendations and seed transfer guidelines should not be based on data for only one type of trait. In addition, patterns of quantitative trait variation in N. pulchra were strongly correlated with climatic variation among sites, suggesting that it may be possible to obtain a rough match between seed sources and planting sites by using readily available climate zone data.
