RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Regional genetic variation in three native grasses in northern California
JF Native Plants Journal
JO NATIVE PLANTS JOURNAL
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 263
OP 280
DO 10.2979/NPJ.2009.10.3.263
VO 10
IS 3
A1 Kitzmiller, Jay H
YR 2009
UL http://npj.uwpress.org/content/10/3/263.abstract
AB Germination, growth, and flowering traits varied widely in a common-garden nursery environment and expressed coarse-textured geographic patterns among Plumas National Forest seed sources of 3 native grasses (Poaceae): blue wildrye (Elymus glaucus Buckley ssp. glaucus, California brome (Bromus carinatus Hook. & Arn. var. carinatus), and Orcutt’s brome (B. orcuttianus Vasey). Seed zones are justified to partition the geographic variation in grasses on the Plumas National Forest because: 1) adaptive traits varied significantly with geographic surrogates for climate and photoperiod; 2) a coarse-textured geographic and topographic pattern overshadowed microsite variation; and 3) paired (proximal) sources were more similar to one another than more distal sources, all of which indicated selection may have contributed to population differentiation. Each species displayed a different geographic pattern, but Bromus species were most similar. Low-elevation southwestern sources of B. carinatus had earlier and higher germination and slightly higher shoot dry weight, while high-elevation northern lots had later and lower germination and dry weight. Southern sources of B. orcuttianus produced more flowers and germinated earlier than northern sources. Elymus glaucus from lower-elevation and more eastern sources, where summer drought is most pronounced, had higher dry weight and flowers.