XVI International Botanical Congess

Phylogeographic analysis can be more informative in determining phylogenetic relationships within and between taxa than traditional morphological data that may be environmentally variable. I will use hypervariable regions of the chloroplast DNA genome to determine patterns of relatedness within the Fagus grandifolia complex. A second goal of this work will be to investigate ratios of sexual versus asexual reproduction in Fagus grandifolia populations in the Great Smoky Mountains NP by using AFLPs. Asexual reproduction by root sprouting is suspected to be an important process in the maintenance of beech populations under relatively severe environmental conditions. It is not known how long root sprouts remain connected to the parent tree root system, and studies that focus on current connections between individuals may be ignoring other individuals of root sprout origin.