First Name:
Jacklyn
Last Name:
Hellwege
Major Department:
Biology
Thesis Director:
Eva Gonzales
Date of Thesis:
May 2009
Uniola paniculata (Poaceae), or sea oats, is a coastal grass associated with sandy dunes. The distribution of this species ranges from Virginia south to the Florida Keys, throughout the Gulf of Mexico coastline, as well as the Bahamas and parts of Cuba. We reconstructed the phylogeographic history of this dune grass using variation in chloroplast DNA sequences. Using three primer pairs, we identified four variable sites. The sequences indicated four haplotypes. The variation we identified was not sufficient to infer unambiguous phylogeny of U. paniculata.However, we present the most likely scenario based on our results. The chloroplast DNA haplotypes suggest that there is a major disconnect between populations of Texas and the remainder of the geographic range. While the western phylogroup (i.e. Gulf of Mexico) is represented by one haplotype only, the eastern (i.e., Atlantic) phylogroup is composed of populations with shallow genetic subdivisions. These findings are partially congruent with previously published studies examining nuclear markers in U. paniculata. The north/south pattern observed in morphological studies was not duplicated in our findings, which adopted an east/west pattern. Although this investigation requires sampling from more locations, our preliminary results can be used to enhance dune restoration projects. With this information, the identification of proper propagule sources will be possible, as well as allowing the transplantation of sea oats during dune reconstruction with respect to the phylogeny within the species.