Department of Integrative Biology Graduate Thesis Defense

Emily Orr

M.S. Degree Candidate
CU Denver Department of Integrative Biology
Dr. Jennifer Neale Lab

When: November 16, 2022, 9:00a-10:00a

Where: Zoom –Join Zoom Meeting

https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/94528312467

Meeting ID: 945 2831 2467 

Population genomic analysis of the rare, narrow endemic, Astragalus microcymbus. 

The immediate threat of biodiversity loss is one of the main ecological challenges faced globally today. Rare species contribute to nearly half the world’s biodiversity, comprising an overwhelmingly large amount of unique small challenges to the goal of preserving the extant diversity. Fortunately, rare species are also subject to unique advantages of protection in the U.S. by the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Much work is done by federal agencies to identify, list and enact protections with aims of conserving these species. The study presented here is a population genomic assessment of the rare forb, skiff milkvetch (Astragalus microcymbus Barneby, Fabaceae), as part of its long-term management plan and conservation. The findings will complement the 27 years of demographic monitoring by  Denver Botanic Gardens (DBG), management by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 44 years of consideration for listing under the ESA. Accordingly, the work presented here will summarize: (1) population genetic structure, levels and distribution of genetic diversity within the species, and (2) contributions of population-specific information to land managers to inform conservation and management.