San Diego Botanical Society
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Abstracts:
Bianca Bonilla* and Sula Vanderplank. Botanical Community Development Initiatives. Border Bioblitzing: Community science en la frontera.
The Border BioBlitz is a community science effort to record as many species as possible along each side of the U.S.-Mexico border. In its second year (2019), the Border BioBlitz had 20 teams on both sides of the border from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. California had 4 teams and Baja California had 4 teams. There were a total of 6,914 observations with 3,585 from California and 824 from Baja California. 1,598 total species were recorded during the two day bioblitz period with 474 observers. 836 species from 256 observers were recorded in California and 313 species from 61 observers recorded for Baja California. With the current construction and proposals of new border fences along pristine habitat along the U.S.-Mexico border, documentation of the biodiversity occurring in these regions is vital to protect vulnerable species that are impacted by these activities.
Ryan Buck* and Lluvia Flores-RenterÃa. Department of Biology, San Diego State University. Interspecies Hybridization in Pinyon Pines.
The two-needled pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) experiences some of the highest mortality rates among forest species after prolonged periods of drought, which are expected to increase in intensity with climate change. A close relative, Pinus monophylla, has one needle-per-fascicle, a trait thought to be adapted to more arid environments. Both species are dominant in the Southwest and play important ecological roles in supporting biodiversity. Despite occupying different ecological niches, they have overlapping distributions, facilitating potential hybridization. Two additional needle types have been observed near contact zones: fallax-type and californiarum-type. Both have one needle-per-fascicle but have varying numbers of resin canals and stomatal rows. Additionally, californiarum-type overlaps in distribution with Pinus quadrifolia, which has four needles-per-fascicle and is sister to P. monophylla. In this study, we used morphological and next-generation genomic data to test for hybridization, detect the direction of gene flow, and determine the extent of the hybrid zones in this complex.
Elsa Cleland* and Liz Ryan. Ecology, Behavior & Evolution Section, University of California San Diego. Clinal variation in Eschscholzia californica: using the history of past selection in response to climate to predict adaptation and persistence with future climate change.
Collections of California poppy were made in 2017 from 30 populations across the state and grown in a common garden - with warming and drought treatments - at UCSD. To date, we've documented clinal variation in germination and flowering phenology, leaf thickness, seed size, longevity (we have annual and perennial populations), as well as demographic and fitness traits. Future work will also document variation in flower color. These demographic data will be used to predict population-level persistence in face of future climate change, and to evaluate how assisted gene flow would impact both ecotypic variation and population persistence with changing climate.
Michelle Cloud-Hughes. Desert Solitaire Botany and Ecological Restoration, San Diego, CA. Cholla changes: Recent updates in Cylindropuntia taxonomy in southern California and Baja.
Recent studies within the genus Cylindropuntia have prompted nomenclatural changes to several taxa. Whole plastid genome skimming of the diploid Cylindropuntia have revealed phylogenetic relationships at the clade, species, and infraspecific levels. Morphometric analyses of taxa, particularly within the Californica clade, have generally supported these genetic relationships. This presentation will enumerate and provide supporting evidence for the taxonomic changes to the southern California and Baja Cylindropuntia.
José Waterton* and Elsa Cleland. Ecology, Behavior & Evolution Section, University of California San Diego. Why not be early? Ecological factors maintain genetic variation in germination time of Stipa pulchra.
Many studies have shown selection for early germination in competitive environments; individuals need to take up space and resources first in order to suppress later active individuals. So, why isn't there a race for everyone to be early? Recent work from our lab shows that there are a number of factors that constrain evolution towards early germination strategies - in particular early active individuals suffer more mortality due to herbivory, there is selection on correlated traits that prevents selection on germination time, and the benefit of early germination depends on the identity of the competing species. A fun eco-evolutionary story with our state grass, Stipa pulchra.arking is free, in the lots adjacent to the San Diego Natural History Museum, or adjacent lots and streets of Balboa Park.