Abstract
The genetics of native plants influence the success of ecological restoration, yet genetic variability of local seed collections and commercial seed releases remains unclear for most taxa. Poa secunda, a common native grass species in Intermountain West grasslands and a frequent component of restoration seed mixes, is one such species. Here, we evaluate the genetic variation of local Poa secunda collections in the context of wild populations and commercial seed releases. We evaluated AFLP markers for seven Poa secunda collections made over a 4000-hectare area and four commercial releases (High Plains, MT-1, Opportunity, and Sherman). We compare the genetic distance and distribution of genetic variation within and between local collections and commercial releases. The extent and patterns of genetic variation in our local collections indicate subtle site differences with most variation occurring within rather than between collections. Identical genetic matches were usually, but not always, found within 5 m2 collection sites. Our results suggest that the genetic variation in two Poa secunda releases (High Plains and MT-1) is similar to our local collections. Our results affirm that guidelines for Poa secunda seed collection should follow recommendations for selfing species, by collecting from many sites over large individual sites.
Highlights
Poa secunda is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass common to grasslands of western North America
We evaluated local P. secunda collections to assess small-scale genetic variation and to inform germplasm sampling strategies
Polymorphism rates varied between sources, with the proportion of polymorphic markers ranging from 0% (Sherman) to 30.93% (High Plains)
Summary
Poa secunda is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass common to grasslands of western North America. A polyploid complex, P. secunda is composed of variants that may have distinct ecological and biogeographical roles [1], though they are polymorphic variants of a single species [2,3] with a ploidy range from 2n = 42–100 [4,5,6,7]. These variants include big bluegrass (‘Ampla’), Canby’s bluegrass (‘Canbyi’), Pacific/slender bluegrass (‘Gracillima’), Nevada bluegrass (‘Nevadensis’), alkali bluegrass (‘Junctifolia’), Sandberg bluegrass (‘Sandbergii’), and pine bluegrass (‘Scabrella’) [1,8]. Poa secunda individuals often produce viable pollen and can contribute to selfing, outcrossing, and apomictic seed development even if they are entirely or highly apomictic [10]
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