The Bi341 Genetics Red Fir Project Page

 

 

Over the course of this quarter, a large part of our laboratory classes will be devoted to a single extended study of the population genetics of California red fir (Abies magnifica).  Our focus will be on local populations in the Klamath-Siskiyou and Cascade Mountains, and our experiment will begin with a field trip to collect samples from nearby wild populations.  Our goal is to perform a complete multi-step experiment – we will start from scratch by going out into the field to collect our samples, followed by using molecular laboratory techniques to identify the genotypes of individual trees, and finally statistical data analysis to test hypotheses about the genetic structure of the populations and the forces that affect it.  Our experiment is also part of something greater – the data we gather will expand a data set that has been gathered over the past few years, and will include some new populations as well.  I hope you will share in the excitement of finding out something brand new as we pursue this experiment – I have no idea what the new populations will tell us, as no one has yet investigated them! 

 

 

The Four Hypotheses about the Distribution and Ranges of Red Fir and Noble Fir (as handed out in lab)

 

Introductory Material from our Lab Manual (includes pictures in color!)

 

Oline, DK.  2008.  Geographic variation in chloroplast haplotypes in the California red fir-noble fir species complex and the status of Shasta red fir.  Can. J. For. Res.  38: 2705-2710

 

 

Our Data Set!  Added new confirmed data 11/1/08

 

Site

Latitude

Longitude

P

M

Crater Lake-CS, OR (CLCS)

43.005 N

122.274 W

12

4

Huckleberry Mtn., OR (HU)

42.852 N

122.322 W

8

4

Rustler Peak, OR (RS)

42.595 N

122.345 W

15

4

Dead Indian, OR (DI)

42.241 N

122.309 W

27

2

Medicine Lake, CA (MD)

41.566 N

121.582 W

5

6

Mt. Shasta, CA (MS)

41.357 N

122.208 W

11

5

Mt. Lassen, CA (ML)

40.417 N

121.533 W

0

15

Mt. Ashland, OR (MA)

42.083 N

122.698 W

44

1

Bingham Lake, CA (BI)

41.278 N

122.950 W

14

0

Dagget Pass, NV (DG)

38.999 N

119.895 W

0

8

Mammoth Lakes, CA (MM)

37.629 N

119.006 W

0

9

Ponderosa, CA (PO)

36.092 N

118.538 W

0

16

 

New Data from Bi341 Lab sections is highlighted in red. 

New Mt. Ashland data is combined with previous data.

 

Compare this table with the previous data (Table 1 in Oline 2008)

 

 

Online references:

Little, E.  1971.  Atlas of United States Trees, Volume 1: Conifers and important hardwoods: U.S. Department of Agriculture Miscellaneous Publication 1146.   

 

Burns, Russell M., and Barbara H. Honkala, tech. coords.  1990.  Silvics of North America: Volume 1. Conifers. Agriculture Handbook 654. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Washington, DC, 675 p.

 

OSU.  2005.  Oregon Plant Atlas.  Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR.

 

 

 

Additional Background Resources:

Images of our species, from CalPhotos

 

Abies magnifica species descriptions from

            Flora of North America

            conifers.org

            nearctica.com

 

 

Abies procera species descriptions from

            Flora of North America

            conifers.org

            nearctica.com