Genetically Appropriate Choices for Plant Materials to Maintain Biological Diversity Deborah L. Rogers Arlee M. Montalvo Genetic Resources Conservation Program Department of Botany and Plant Sciences University of California and Center for Conservation Biology 1 Davis, CA University of California Riverside, CA and Riverside–Corona Resource Conservation District 2 Riverside, CA 1 Genetic Resources Conservation Program, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. email: [email protected] 2 Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District, 4500 Glenwood Drive, Riverside, CA 92501. email: [email protected] Prepared for: USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region Lakewood, CO December 31, 2004 Citation: Rogers, D.L. and A.M. Montalvo. 2004. Genetically appropriate choices for plant materials to maintain biological diversity. University of California. Report to the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Lakewood, CO. 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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ii Table of Contents vi Foreword vii Preface viii Acknowledgements 1 Chapter 1 Introduction 18 Chapter 2 Context for making genetically appropriate plant material choices on USDA Forest Service lands 32 Chapter 3 Genetic impacts of natural versus artificial regeneration 56 Chapter 4 Description of genetic diversity 77 Chapter 5 Genetic diversity and its relationship with evolution, ecology, and life history characteristics 103 Chapter 6 What is genetically local? 130 Chapter 7 Fitness consequences of poor genetic matching 151 Chapter 8 Purchased plant materials for wildland revegetation projects 197 Chapter 9 Choosing appropriate genetic sources 217 Chapter 10 Information on Region 2 native plants 310 Chapter 11 Demonstration of using the guidelines to choose appropriate genetic materials 316 Chapter 12 Concluding remarks 320 Glossary List of Boxes Page Number Title 12 1 The significance of in situ genetic reserves 15 2 Genetic policies: A sample from US agencies and organizations 25 3 USDA Forest Service Directives related to genetically appropriate use of native plants 28 4 Federal acts, presidential directives, and executive orders related to the use of native plants 44 5 The recurring question: To seed or not to seed 48 6 Ecological genetic considerations in species selection 53 7 Some ecological resources available for guiding species selection 145 8 Making the best use of limited and valuable genetic collections 148 9 Genetic monitoring for signs of genetic erosion or genetic shifts 191 10 Wildland seed certification programs 195 11 Conventions for classification and naming of native plant materials 209 12 Native plant species in FS Region 2 that are listed under the Federal or a State Endangered Species Act 211 13 Genetic considerations in restoring clonal species 214 14 Polyploidy in native plant species: implications for revegetation projects iii List of Figures Page Number Title 8 1.1 Elements of a natural area revegetation project 9 1.2 A representation of the four levels of biodiversity as viewed by the Forest Service and others 23 2.1 Examples of how the spatial scale of genetic diversity within a species may relate to the spatial scale of the revegetation project 120 6.1 Comparison of historic and revised southwestern ponderosa pine seed transfer rules for Colorado in Region 2 121 6.2 Example of species-specific seed zones for ponderosa pine (var. scopulorum) in Regions 1 and 2 122 6.3 USDA plant hardiness zones for central US showing range in average annual minimum temperature 123 6.4 Ecoregion maps for United States and South Dakota 124 6.5 Four of the possible fitness outcomes of population hybridization following mixing of a resident and genetically non-local population 141 7.1 The three subspecies of Artemisia tridentata in relation to the habitats to which they are adapted 185 8.1 AOSCA seed certification guidelines and nomenclature for release types in the genetically manipulated versus natural development tracks 205 9.1 Forest Service Seed Collection Zones for the State of Colorado 206 9.2 Forest Service Seed Collection Zones for the State of South Dakota 206 9.3 Forest Service Seed Collection Zones for the State of Wyoming 207 9.4 Basic steps for informing choices on genetically appropriate source for each species involved in a revegetation project 311 11.1 Rocky Mountain sedge (Carex scopulorum) 313 11.2 Poverty oat grass (Danthonia spicata) 314 11.3 Scarlet globemallow (Sphaeralcea coccinea) List of Tables* Page Number Title 10 1.1 Some basic differences between plants and animals in some genetic characteristics 24 2.1 Spatial and temporal scales relevant to plant introductions in revegetation projects 40 3.1 A classification for plant growth following a disturbance 41 3.2 Risks and opportunities associated with natural (or unassisted) regeneration and assisted regeneration of native plant species on sites where fires or harvests have occurred iv List of Tables continued* Page Number Title 73 4.1 Summary of common statistical measures of genetic diversity within and among populations 74 4.2 Some values for allozyme diversity for western conifer species 93 5.1 Contrasts and comparisons among various DNA markers that can be useful in genetic monitoring 95 5.2 Groups of species in the Great Plains and Intermountain West floras with high frequencies of hybridization and no reported hybridization 95 5.3 Evidence of cytoplasmic (cpDNA) genomic capture in plant species. 96 5.4 Correlates between life-history traits and spatial genetic structure (differences among populations) in plant species. 96 5.5 Average levels of among-population genetic differentiation (spatial genetic structure) for several plant families 97 5.6 Effect of life-history characteristics of plant species on the ‘Sp statistic’ measuring spatial genetic structure (SGS) 147 B8.1 Spectrum of value to be applied to research projects that requests use of limited collection of plant genetic resources 167 8.1 Specifications for the different classes of native plant germplasm made available for release by USDA Plant Materials Centers 168 8.2 Information about releases of plants native to Region 2 182 8.3 Example of conservation plant releases from USDA NRCS Manhattan Plant Materials Center, KS 183 8.4 Example of procedures that could minimize genetic bottlenecks and unintended genetic shifts in native plant collections and releases 184 8.5 Questions relating to commercial plant materials 209 B12.1 Native plant species in FS Region 2 that are listed (or Candidates for Listing) under the Federal or a State Endangered Species Act 220 10.1 General species life-history information for a sample of species from Region 2 that have some genetic information available 245 10.2 Characteristics of some Region 2 native plant species that are known to reproduce vegetatively or re-sprout after disturbance 250 10.3 Information on local adaptation or genetic differentiation in a sample of plant species native to at least one of the five states in Forest Service Region 2 267 10.4 Region 2 native plant species that have variable ploidy levels (cytotypes) 274 10.5 Species from Region 2 studied for inbreeding or outbreeding effects 282 10.6 Ecological genetic details for Populus tremuloides 285 10.7 Ecological genetic details for Linum lewisii 287 10.8 Ecological genetic details for Bouteloua gracilis * ‘B’ in the table number indicates that this table is associated with the box of that number, rather than the chapter. v Foreword Native plant material use in revegetation or restoration efforts has increased nationally over the past couple of decades, replacing to some