“Ecology & Evolution of Peat Moss – Species Matter!”
October 20
4:00 pm
CNS 112
All are cordially invited to attend.
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Sphagnum is both a genus of plants and an entire ecosystem. Sphagnum-dominated peatlands are estimated to store 25-30% of the total terrestrial carbon pool and are for that reason critical to the control of global climate. Sphagnum peatlands have been studied for decades by community ecologists as up to 20 species can co-exist because of niche differentiation among those species. Sphagnum species sort across microenvironmental variation, including height above the water table, pH, and nutrient levels, which all vary within peatlands. In 2017, we started working with scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to sequence Sphagnum genomes so we could better understand how genomic variation scales up to affect peat moss growth, and ultimately impacts ecology at a global scale. One of the species we used as a “model” for this work, S. magellanicum, was thought to have a worldwide geographic range that encompasses a broad range of ecological zones. However, it turns out that S. magellanicum is better understood as a complex of closely related species that differ in geography and ecology. We have been studying how the species in this complex differ morphologically, genetically, and ecologically. Phylogenetic and ecological results indicate that this group is extremely valuable for linking ecology and evolution, including how plants might respond to warming climates.