Life Sciences Commons^™

Genetic Diversity Of Asclepias Tuberosa In Iowa Prairies, Jeff Ploegstra, Michelle Alkema, Kayla Graves, Brittany De Ruyter, Tony N. Jelsma

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reduced population size can result in the loss of genetic diversity, which in turn can make organisms more susceptible to environmental challenges. In Iowa less than one percent of the original tallgrass prairie remains, isolated in a few remnant prairies. We are undertaking a long term project to assess the genetic variability in native prairie plants on remnant prairies in Northwest Iowa. We are testing six microsatellite sequences for butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) from the Steele Prairie State Preserve, Broken Kettle Grasslands, a private prairie near Cherokee IA, a prairie restoration project on the Dordt College campus and populations from …