In addition to its longstanding recognition as an influential evolutionary process, interspecific hybridization is increasingly regarded as a potential threat to the genetic integrity and survival of rare plant species, manifested through gamete wasting, increased pest and disease pressures, outbreeding depression, competitive exclusion, and genetic assimilation. Alternatively, hybridization has also...
A biological inventory of the butterflies of the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest [HJA] in Linn/Lane County, Oregon was conducted during 1994 and 1995. It was the first comprehensive survey of HJA butterflies for the site and serves as a baseline for future butterfly research. A detailed ecological account is...
Wild barley (Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum) could be a source of useful genes for improving cultivated barley. The useful genes present in Hordeum vulgare subsp. spontaneum may be new alleles at described loci, or these may be entirely new genes in the sense that there is limited allelic variation at...
The Pacific Northwest has a relatively low diversity of primary freshwater fishes with most of the endemism and diversity in the Columbia River and Klamath River. However, the Oregon Coastal Subprovince defined as the coastal rivers from Miami River in the north to Sixes River in the south, has a...
Historically, least terns (Sterna antillarum) were one of the most common tern species in North America. However, population declines have resulted from direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures on their breeding and foraging habitat. Three subspecies of least terns have been described within the United States: California least tern (S. a....
This dissertation describes the application and development of molecular tools that have great potential for use in studying variation in strawberry germplasm. The first study evaluated 91 microsatellite (simple sequence repeat, SSR) markers for transferability in 22 Fragaria species and their utility in fingerprinting octoploid strawberries. Out of the transferable...
Fungi in the genus Tolypocladium are diverse in their host associations, but the predominant ecologies include parasites of the ectomycorrhizal genus Elaphomyces and pathogens of insects. The aim of this dissertation research is to examine the evolution of these fungi and their host associations. To accomplish this several lines of...
Monitoring wildlife habitats has become important to forest ecosystem management because it provides valuable information about the response of forests and their species to harvest practices, impacts from recreational use, conservation efforts, and natural and human-caused disturbances. Monitoring is a complex task that requires a variety of abiotic and biotic...
Monophyly of the gomphoid-phalloid clade was confirmed based on multigene phylogenetic analyses. Four major subclades (Hysterangiales, Geastrales, Gomphales and Phallales) were also demonstrated to be monophyletic. The interrelationships among the subclades were, however, not resolved, and alternative topologies could not be rejected statistically. Nonetheless, most analyses showed that the Hysterangiales...
Identifying mechanisms that determine who lives and dies is the first step in developing successful restoration techniques for rare species and endangered habitats. We studied interactions that affect establishment of native plant forbs of conservation concern at the seedling stage to support the theoretical basis for restoration activities in Pacific...