Abstract
The introduction of a new species into an ecosystem can have dire consequences for the native inhabitants of that area. Introductions can have a wide range of effects on a community including increased competition for space and resources and new or increased hybridization. I analyzed hybridization between native species Echinacea angustifolia and introduced species E. pallida at the Hegg Wildlife Management Area in Minnesota. Specifically, I analyzed whether hybridization whether flowering time was a predictor for hybridization and whether maternal plants of both species produced the same number of hybrid offspring. My analysis of symmetry showed no significant results, although there was a visible trend toward higher hybridization in E. pallida. My analysis of lowering time showed a significant relationship between flowering time and hybridization in E. angustifolia revealed no significant results. However, there was a significant relationship between hybridization and flowering time in E. pallida. This relationship informs the trends seen in asymmetry. Further work genotyping pure E. pallida plants would aid in providing an easier, more accurate method of identifying hybrids and understanding the exact dynamics of hybridization at this site. Studying hybridization in this system is particularly relevant to understanding not only how hybridization may be affecting or threatening small, fragmented plant populations, but also may enhance understanding of secondary contact between recently diverged species and the genetic consequences that may follow. All of this knowledge will aid in predicting and understanding population dynamics as the ranges of species continue to shift in the coming years.
Advisor
Ison, Jennifer
Department
Biology
Recommended Citation
Hogg, Kathleen, "An Examination of Hybridization Between Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea pallida: Examining Relative Rates of Hybridization and the Effect of Flowering Time" (2016). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 7364.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/7364
Disciplines
Botany | Plant Biology | Plant Breeding and Genetics
Keywords
botany, hybridization, phenology, Echinacea
Publication Date
2016
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2016 Kathleen Hogg