We have 2 years of funding for an MS or PhD student, beginning this summer or later, to help determine levels of genetic differentiation between two sedge species. The project would involve setting up and caring for common gardens in remote parts of Alaska, carrying out lab work (microsatellites or next-gen sequencing), data analysis and paper writing.
The goal of the research is to determine whether the common circumpolar sedge, Carex subspathacea, and the less common C. ramenskii are genetically distinct. Natural populations of the two taxa are morphologically distinct, with one being tall and the other short. It has been suggested that C. subspathacea and C. ramenskii are actually a single species, and that the short stature of C. subspathacea is maintained by heavy goose grazing. In an experiment excluding geese on the YK Delta where the two species co-occur, C. subspathacea reverted to the tall form resembling C. ramenskii, while C. ramenskii reverted to the short-statured C. subspathacea when grazed, suggesting that the two species are actually grazing morphs of the same species However on the north slope of Alaska, C. ramenskii does not occur, and C. subspathacea maintains its short growth form even when excluded from grazing. This poses the questions as to whether there is genetic differentiation among populations of C. subspathacea at the regional scale, and whether C. subspathacea and C. ramenskii are indeed grazing morphs of the same species. If interested, please contact Diana Wolf <dew...@alaska.edu> and/or Roger Ruess <rwru...@alaska.edu>
