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Five-Year Response Of Spontaneous Vegetation To Removal Of Invasive Amur Bush Honeysuckle Along An Urban Creek, Rebecca W. Dolan, Kelly H. Brown Jun 2019

Five-Year Response Of Spontaneous Vegetation To Removal Of Invasive Amur Bush Honeysuckle Along An Urban Creek, Rebecca W. Dolan, Kelly H. Brown

Rebecca W. Dolan

Non-native invasive species have major impacts on landscapes worldwide, but their effects in urban areas are not well documented. We quantified the response of naturally regenerating vegetation along an urban creek to removal of the invasive shrub Lonicera maackii (Amur Bush Honeysuckle). Over the 5-year study, species richness more than doubled. Most new plants were native, disturbance-adapted, early successional species. Trend analysis of function traits revealed annuals that rely on seed dispersal by wind or externally on animals were significantly overrepresented among new plants in comparison to their proportion in the countywide species pool. Increased species richness did not result …


Floristic Response To Urbanization: Filtering Of The Bioregional Flora In Indianapolis, Indiana, Usa, Rebecca W. Dolan, Myla F.J. Aronson, Andrew L. Hipp Sep 2017

Floristic Response To Urbanization: Filtering Of The Bioregional Flora In Indianapolis, Indiana, Usa, Rebecca W. Dolan, Myla F.J. Aronson, Andrew L. Hipp

Rebecca W. Dolan

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Globally, urban plant populations are becoming increasingly important, as these plants play a vital role in ameliorating effects of ecosystem disturbance and climate change. Urban environments act as filters to bioregional flora, presenting survival challenges to spontaneous plants. Yet, because of the paucity of inventory data on plants in landscapes both before and after urbanization, few studies have directly investigated this effect of urbanization. METHODS: We used historical, contemporary, and regional plant species inventories for Indianapolis, Indiana USA to evaluate how urbanization filters the bioregional flora based on species diversity, functional traits, and phylogenetic community structure. …


Invasive Species In An Urban Flora: History And Current Status In Indianapolis, Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan Dec 2016

Invasive Species In An Urban Flora: History And Current Status In Indianapolis, Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Invasive plant species are widely appreciated to cause significant ecologic and economic damage in agricultural fields and in natural areas. The presence and impact of invasives in cities is less well documented. This paper characterizes invasive plants in Indianapolis, Indiana. Based on historical records and contemporary accounts, 69 of the 120 species on the official Indiana state list are reported for the city. Most of these plants are native to Asia or Eurasia, with escape from cultivation as the most common mode of introduction. Most have been in the flora of Indianapolis for some time. Eighty percent of Indianapolis’ invasive …


Bacon's Swamp- Ghost Of A Central Indiana Natural Area Past, Rebecca W. Dolan Jan 2016

Bacon's Swamp- Ghost Of A Central Indiana Natural Area Past, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Bacon’s Swamp was identified in the 1920s as a ca. 12 ha glacial kettle lake bog system at the southernmost limits of these habitats in Indiana. Located just 9.6 km from the center of Indianapolis, the site was all but destroyed in the mid-20th century by urban expansion. Prior to habitat conversion at the site, Bacon’s Swamp was a frequent location for Butler University ecology class field trips and student research projects. Herbarium specimens and published inventory records allow for analysis of the historical vegetation of Bacon’s Swamp using modern techniques. Floristic Quality Assessment applied to these historical records reveals …


Community Involvement To Address A Long-Standing Invasive Species Problem: Aspects Of Civic Ecology In Practice, Rebecca W. Dolan, Kelly Harris, Mark Adler Aug 2015

Community Involvement To Address A Long-Standing Invasive Species Problem: Aspects Of Civic Ecology In Practice, Rebecca W. Dolan, Kelly Harris, Mark Adler

Rebecca W. Dolan

Invasive non-native species (INS) are found in every city around the globe, but their impacts in urban settings as biological agents of visual pollution that block views of natural landscapes and disconnect citizens from nature are not as often addressed as comprehensively as their impacts in natural areas or agricultural settings. The multiple impacts of INS in cities make them ideal candidates for aspects of Civic Ecology Practice, where local environmental stewardship action is taken to enhance green infrastructure and community well-being in urban and other human-dominated systems. We present details of a community driven program focused on removal of …


Changes In Plant Species Composition And Structure In Two Peri-Urban Nature Preserves Over 10 Years, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jessica D. Stepens, Marcia E. Moore Jul 2015

Changes In Plant Species Composition And Structure In Two Peri-Urban Nature Preserves Over 10 Years, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jessica D. Stepens, Marcia E. Moore

Rebecca W. Dolan

Peri-urban natural areas, at the boundaries of cities and adjacent agricultural/rural land, are subject to ecological threats endemic to both land use types. We used permanent plots to document changes in habitat quality by monitoring herbaceous-layer plant species presence and cover over a decade (1996/97 and 2007) in two peri-urban nature preserves in central Indiana, U.S.A. The preserves are comprised of different forest community types: wet-mesic depressional forest and mesic upland forest. Habitat characteristics, based on Floristic Quality Assessment parameters, showed only a single change for either preserve between survey years: wetness values were lower in the wet-mesic depressional site …


Two Hundred Years Of Forest Change: Effects Of Urbanization On Tree Species Composition And Structure, Rebecca W. Dolan Jul 2015

Two Hundred Years Of Forest Change: Effects Of Urbanization On Tree Species Composition And Structure, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Despite their importance, the dynamics of urban floras are not well understood and quantitative historical data are rare. The current study used three data sets for trees in Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana, U.S., to document change over 200 years to the original beech-maple forest and to examine future implications of contemporary tree planting efforts in light of these changes. Data on tree composition and size collected before significant settlement in the early 1800s are compared with recent surveys of trees in remnant natural areas and with trees found on city streets and rights-of-way. All the species recorded in historical surveys are …


Beta Diversity Of Urban Floras Among European And Non-European Cities, Frank A. La Sorte, Myla F.J. Aronson, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Laura Celesti-Grapow, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce D. Clarkson, Rebecca W. Dolan, Andrew Hipp, Stefan Klotz, Ingolf Kühn, Pter Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Marten Winter Mar 2015

Beta Diversity Of Urban Floras Among European And Non-European Cities, Frank A. La Sorte, Myla F.J. Aronson, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Laura Celesti-Grapow, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce D. Clarkson, Rebecca W. Dolan, Andrew Hipp, Stefan Klotz, Ingolf Kühn, Pter Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Marten Winter

Rebecca W. Dolan

Aim- Cities represent an ideal study system for assessing how intensive land-use change and biotic interchange have altered beta diversity at broad geographic extents. Here we test the hypothesis that floras in cities located in disparate regions of the globe are being homogenized by species classified as invasive (naturalized species that have spread over a large area) or as a European archaeophyte (species introduced into Europe before ad 1500 from the Mediterranean Basin). We also test the prediction that the global influences of European activities (colonization, agriculture, commerce) have supported this outcome. Location- One hundred and ten cities world-wide. Methods- …


Documenting Effects Of Urbanization On Flora Using Herbarium Records, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcia E. Moore, Jessica Stephens Apr 2014

Documenting Effects Of Urbanization On Flora Using Herbarium Records, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcia E. Moore, Jessica Stephens

Rebecca W. Dolan

As human populations increasingly live in cities, urban floras and the ecosystem services they provide are under increasing threat. Understanding the effects of urbanization on plants can help to predict future changes and identify ways to preserve biological diversity. Relatively few studies document changes through time in the flora of a focal region and those that do primarily address European floras. They often rely on contemporary spatial gradient studies as surrogates for changes with time. We compare historical species records (prior to 1940) with the current flora for Marion County, Indiana, USA, home to Indianapolis, the 13th largest city in …


Demographic Viability Of Populations Of Silene Regis In Midwestern Prairies: Relationships With Fire Management, Genetic Variation, Geographic Location, Population Size And Isolation, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan Mar 2014

Demographic Viability Of Populations Of Silene Regis In Midwestern Prairies: Relationships With Fire Management, Genetic Variation, Geographic Location, Population Size And Isolation, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

We studied the demographic viability of populations of a long-lived iteroparous prairie perennial, Silene regia, in relation to management regimes, population sizes, geographical region (Ohio and Indiana vs. Missouri and Arkansas), degree of isolation and amount of genetic variation. Demographic data were collected from 16 populations for up to 7 years. This species has high survivorship, slow growth, frequent flowering and episodic seedling recruitment. Matrix projection methods were used to summarize population performance with and without recruitment. Median finite rates of increase by population varied from 0.57 to 1.82 and from 0.44 to 0.99, respectively. Populations with the highest rates …


Population Dynamics Of Ludwigia Leptocarpa (Onagraceae) And Some Factors Affecting Size Hierarchies In A Natural Population, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca R. Sharitz Mar 2014

Population Dynamics Of Ludwigia Leptocarpa (Onagraceae) And Some Factors Affecting Size Hierarchies In A Natural Population, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca R. Sharitz

Rebecca W. Dolan

Germination cohorts of Ludwigia leptocarpa, a semi-aquatic annual plant were marked in the field at time of establishment and followed through the 1981 and 1982 growing seasons at a site in southern South Carolina. Data from each cohort were pooled to determine demographic characteristics of the population as a whole, then analyzed separately to determine the effect of time on germination on survivorship, relative growth rate, and adult size. Changes in numbers of L. leptocarpa fit a Deevey Type II survivorship curve. This and other characteristics of the species classify it as ‘r-selected’. Aspects of the life history may reflect …


A Global Analysis Of The Impacts Of Urbanization On Bird And Plant Diversity Reveals Key Anthropogenic Drivers, Myla F.J. Aronson, Frank A. La Sorte, Charles H. Nilon, Madhusudan Katti, Mark A. Goddard, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Paige S. Warren, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce Clarkson, Cynnamon Dobbs, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcus Hedblom, Stefan Klotz, Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Ingolf Kühn, Ian Macgregor-Fors, Mark Mcdonnell, Ulla Mörtberg, Petr Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Jessica Sushinsky, Peter Werner, Marten Winter Feb 2014

A Global Analysis Of The Impacts Of Urbanization On Bird And Plant Diversity Reveals Key Anthropogenic Drivers, Myla F.J. Aronson, Frank A. La Sorte, Charles H. Nilon, Madhusudan Katti, Mark A. Goddard, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Paige S. Warren, Nicholas S.G. Williams, Sarel Cilliers, Bruce Clarkson, Cynnamon Dobbs, Rebecca W. Dolan, Marcus Hedblom, Stefan Klotz, Jip Louwe Kooijmans, Ingolf Kühn, Ian Macgregor-Fors, Mark Mcdonnell, Ulla Mörtberg, Petr Pyšek, Stefan Siebert, Jessica Sushinsky, Peter Werner, Marten Winter

Rebecca W. Dolan

Urbanization contributes to the loss of the world's biodiversity and the homogenization of its biota. However, comparative studies of urban biodiversity leading to robust generalities of the status and drivers of biodiversity in cities at the global scale are lacking. Here, we compiled the largest global dataset to date of two diverse taxa in cities: birds (54 cities) and plants (110 cities). We found that the majority of urban bird and plant species are native in the world's cities. Few plants and birds are cosmopolitan, the most common beingColumba livia and Poa annua. The density of bird and plant species …


Trials Of The Urban Ecologist, Rebecca W. Dolan, Tim Carter, Travis J. Ryan, Carmen M. Salsbury, Thomas E. Dolan, Marjorie Hennessy May 2013

Trials Of The Urban Ecologist, Rebecca W. Dolan, Tim Carter, Travis J. Ryan, Carmen M. Salsbury, Thomas E. Dolan, Marjorie Hennessy

Rebecca W. Dolan

A group of scientists describe some of the obstacles encountered and insights gained while carrying out ecological research in and around the city of Indianapolis.


Living More Than Just Enough For The City: Persistence Of High-Quality Vegetation In Natural Areas In An Urban Setting, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jessica D. Stephens, Marcia E. Moore Oct 2011

Living More Than Just Enough For The City: Persistence Of High-Quality Vegetation In Natural Areas In An Urban Setting, Rebecca W. Dolan, Jessica D. Stephens, Marcia E. Moore

Rebecca W. Dolan

Urban environments pose special challenges to flora, including altered disturbance regimes, habitat fragmentation, and increased opportunity for invasion by non-native species. In addition, urban natural area represents most people’s contact with nature, given the majority of the world’s population currently live in cities. We used coefficients of conservatism (C-values), a system that ranks species based on perceived fidelity to remnant native plant communities that retain ecological integrity, to quantify habitat quality of 14 sites covering 850 ha within the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Midwestern United States. All sites contained significant natural area and were inventoried via intensive complete …


Floristic Investigation Of Crooked Creek Community Of Juan Solomon Park, Indianapolis Indiana, Raelene M. Crandall, Rebecca W. Dolan Sep 2010

Floristic Investigation Of Crooked Creek Community Of Juan Solomon Park, Indianapolis Indiana, Raelene M. Crandall, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

The protection of plant resources in urban areas is a growing conservation concern. Inventory activities that document species presence and stewardship plans that protect and enhance these areas are needed. The results of a botanical inventory of the Crooked Creek Community Juan Solomon Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, are reported in this paper. The 46-acre park contains three distinct habitats, supporting a wide variety of plants. One hundred seventy-nine vascular plant species from 64 families were identified, including 53 (29.6%) non-native species that are naturalizing within the park. Despite its high percentage of alien species and urban setting, the park is …


Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On Tree- And Herb-Layer Vegetation In A Post Oak (Quercus Stellata) Dominated Flatwoods, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On Tree- And Herb-Layer Vegetation In A Post Oak (Quercus Stellata) Dominated Flatwoods, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Post oak flatwoods are an unusual plant community type dominated by even-aged and uniformly sized post oaks (Quercus stellata) growing along level terraces of the Ohio River. Historical evidence exists that fire may play a role in the maintenance of the open canopy and poorly-developed understory characteristic of this community type (Dolan and Menges. 1989). The results of summer vegetation surveys taken yearly from 1989 to 1992 in a post oak flatwoods in southwestern Indiana that was subjected to a prescribed bum in the spring of 1989 are reported in this paper. The objective of the study was to determine …


The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Botanist Thomas Nuttall called the royal catchfly, Silene regia, "one of the most splendid species in existence." This red-flowered, hummingbird-pollinated member of the Caryophyllaceae is a perennial herb of prairies and glades. Because of the conversion of much of its former habitat to agriculture, the royal catchfly is considered threatened in Indiana. The species' historical and present-day distribution in the State, documenting the current status of all known locations, including population sizes and co-occurring species, are reported in this paper. Only 8 of the documented 23 historical locations still support the plant. No populations occur in dedicated nature preserves or …


A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

For 35 years, the Botany Department of Butler University published a journal of research conducted by Butler faculty, students. and other Indiana botanists. Many of the papers contain valuable historical studies. especially floristic surveys that document Indiana's vegetation in past decades. This article presents a complete index for the journal. arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Reprints of articles are still available.


Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On Tree- And Herb-Layer Vegetation In A Post Oak (Quercus Stellata) Dominated Flatwoods, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On Tree- And Herb-Layer Vegetation In A Post Oak (Quercus Stellata) Dominated Flatwoods, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Post oak flatwoods are an unusual plant community type dominated by even-aged and uniformly sized post oaks (Quercus stellata) growing along level terraces of the Ohio River. Historical evidence exists that fire may play a role in the maintenance of the open canopy and poorly-developed understory characteristic of this community type (Dolan and Menges. 1989). The results of summer vegetation surveys taken yearly from 1989 to 1992 in a post oak flatwoods in southwestern Indiana that was subjected to a prescribed bum in the spring of 1989 are reported in this paper. The objective of the study was to determine …


The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Botanist Thomas Nuttall called the royal catchfly, Silene regia, "one of the most splendid species in existence." This red-flowered, hummingbird-pollinated member of the Caryophyllaceae is a perennial herb of prairies and glades. Because of the conversion of much of its former habitat to agriculture, the royal catchfly is considered threatened in Indiana. The species' historical and present-day distribution in the State, documenting the current status of all known locations, including population sizes and co-occurring species, are reported in this paper. Only 8 of the documented 23 historical locations still support the plant. No populations occur in dedicated nature preserves or …


A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

For 35 years, the Botany Department of Butler University published a journal of research conducted by Butler faculty, students. and other Indiana botanists. Many of the papers contain valuable historical studies. especially floristic surveys that document Indiana's vegetation in past decades. This article presents a complete index for the journal. arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Reprints of articles are still available.


The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Botanist Thomas Nuttall called the royal catchfly, Silene regia, "one of the most splendid species in existence." This red-flowered, hummingbird-pollinated member of the Caryophyllaceae is a perennial herb of prairies and glades. Because of the conversion of much of its former habitat to agriculture, the royal catchfly is considered threatened in Indiana. The species' historical and present-day distribution in the State, documenting the current status of all known locations, including population sizes and co-occurring species, are reported in this paper. Only 8 of the documented 23 historical locations still support the plant. No populations occur in dedicated nature preserves or …


A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

For 35 years, the Botany Department of Butler University published a journal of research conducted by Butler faculty, students. and other Indiana botanists. Many of the papers contain valuable historical studies. especially floristic surveys that document Indiana's vegetation in past decades. This article presents a complete index for the journal. arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Reprints of articles are still available.


The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Botanist Thomas Nuttall called the royal catchfly, Silene regia, "one of the most splendid species in existence." This red-flowered, hummingbird-pollinated member of the Caryophyllaceae is a perennial herb of prairies and glades. Because of the conversion of much of its former habitat to agriculture, the royal catchfly is considered threatened in Indiana. The species' historical and present-day distribution in the State, documenting the current status of all known locations, including population sizes and co-occurring species, are reported in this paper. Only 8 of the documented 23 historical locations still support the plant. No populations occur in dedicated nature preserves or …


Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On Tree- And Herb-Layer Vegetation In A Post Oak (Quercus Stellata) Dominated Flatwoods, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

Effects Of A Prescribed Burn On Tree- And Herb-Layer Vegetation In A Post Oak (Quercus Stellata) Dominated Flatwoods, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Post oak flatwoods are an unusual plant community type dominated by even-aged and uniformly sized post oaks (Quercus stellata) growing along level terraces of the Ohio River. Historical evidence exists that fire may play a role in the maintenance of the open canopy and poorly-developed understory characteristic of this community type (Dolan and Menges. 1989). The results of summer vegetation surveys taken yearly from 1989 to 1992 in a post oak flatwoods in southwestern Indiana that was subjected to a prescribed bum in the spring of 1989 are reported in this paper. The objective of the study was to determine …


The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

The Royal Catchfly (Silene Regia; Caryophyllaceae) In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Botanist Thomas Nuttall called the royal catchfly, Silene regia, "one of the most splendid species in existence." This red-flowered, hummingbird-pollinated member of the Caryophyllaceae is a perennial herb of prairies and glades. Because of the conversion of much of its former habitat to agriculture, the royal catchfly is considered threatened in Indiana. The species' historical and present-day distribution in the State, documenting the current status of all known locations, including population sizes and co-occurring species, are reported in this paper. Only 8 of the documented 23 historical locations still support the plant. No populations occur in dedicated nature preserves or …


A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan Jun 2010

A Complete Index To The Butler University Botanical Studies, A Journal Of Original Research Published By Butler University 1929-1964, Rebecca W. Dolan

Rebecca W. Dolan

For 35 years, the Botany Department of Butler University published a journal of research conducted by Butler faculty, students. and other Indiana botanists. Many of the papers contain valuable historical studies. especially floristic surveys that document Indiana's vegetation in past decades. This article presents a complete index for the journal. arranged both chronologically and alphabetically. Reprints of articles are still available.


Capturing Genetic Variation During Ecological Restorations: An Example From Kankakee Sands In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan, Deborah L. Marr, Andrew Schnabel Apr 2010

Capturing Genetic Variation During Ecological Restorations: An Example From Kankakee Sands In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan, Deborah L. Marr, Andrew Schnabel

Rebecca W. Dolan

Genetic variation in populations, both natural and restored, is usually considered crucial for response to short term environmental stresses and for long term evolutionary change. To have the best chance of successful long-term survival, restored populations should reflect the extant variation found in remnants, but restored sites may suffer from genetic bottlenecks as a result of founder effects. Kankakee Sands is a large-scale restoration being conducted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in northwestern Indiana. Our goal was to test for loss of genetic variation in restored plant populations by comparing them with TNC’s seed source nursery and with local remnant …


Capturing Genetic Variation During Ecological Restorations: An Example From Kankakee Sands In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan, Deborah L. Marr, Andrew Schnabel Apr 2010

Capturing Genetic Variation During Ecological Restorations: An Example From Kankakee Sands In Indiana, Rebecca W. Dolan, Deborah L. Marr, Andrew Schnabel

Rebecca W. Dolan

Genetic variation in populations, both natural and restored, is usually considered crucial for response to short term environmental stresses and for long term evolutionary change. To have the best chance of successful long-term survival, restored populations should reflect the extant variation found in remnants, but restored sites may suffer from genetic bottlenecks as a result of founder effects. Kankakee Sands is a large-scale restoration being conducted by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in northwestern Indiana. Our goal was to test for loss of genetic variation in restored plant populations by comparing them with TNC’s seed source nursery and with local remnant …


Comparative Genetics Of Seven Plants Endemic To Florida’S Lake Wales Ridge, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, Doria R. Gordan Apr 2010

Comparative Genetics Of Seven Plants Endemic To Florida’S Lake Wales Ridge, Eric S. Menges, Rebecca W. Dolan, Rebecca Yahr, Doria R. Gordan

Rebecca W. Dolan

Here we submit that mathematical tools used in population viability analysis can be used in conjunction with floristic and faunistic surveys to predict changes in biogeographic range. We illustrate our point by summarizing the results of a demographic study of Lobelia boykinii. In this study we used deterministic and stochastic matrix models to estimate the growth rate and to predict the time to extinction for three populations growing in the Carolina bays. The stochastic model better discriminated among the fates of the three populations. It predicted extinction for two populations in the next 25 years but no extinction of the …