Crowdfunder Appeal : news of an interesting Crowdfunder Project from SRGC member Jamie Cranston
Protecting Pyrenean Plants - An Environment project Pyrénées-Orientales, France James Cranston is currently conducting some genetic research on Rhododendron in mountain landscapes as part of his Master's dissertation at Oxford university. As part of this he is trying to crowd-raise some of his funding to allow him to use more individuals and genetic markers in his analysis which will produce more representative and useful conclusions.
Project aim
Please help fund a scientific study looking at gene movement between populations in a Pyrenean valley for the keystone species Alpenrose.
"Climate change poses a significant threat to delicate mountain systems. My project investigates patterns of gene flow in the Alpine Rose, a keystone species in the Pyrenees. It will detect barriers which could hinder the species from adapting its range.
The Fundraising target for this project is 1/3 of the total cost, 1/3 is coming from my university and I'm contributing the rest."
Find all details on contributions at the Crowdfunder page http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/protecting-pyrenean-plants?tk=ee989706f50fa9429ebd7d1d9664718212161f27From Jamie -
"Background to project::
The study aims to contribute to knowledge about how genes are flowing around a mountain valley. The study species is Rhododendron ferrugineum, which is a fairly common mass flowering plant. While not of conservation concern itself directly at the moment understanding its response to climate change is important as it large nectar production attracts pollinators to sites which might otherwise be unprofitable and hence aiding dispersal in rarer plant species.
Methods:
I'm currently plan to sample 3 populations taking 30 individuals from each which have different degrees of isolation from one another. Using a combination of nuclear microsatellite and chloroplast markers (too allow inferences distinguishing seed and pollen dispersal) I will create a matrix of genetic distances between individuals plants. I will then model using a regression which is based on extent of the various intervening land-types (some land-types may restrict pollinator movement or seed dispersal) and properties of the plants themselves (larger plants may produce more seed and pollen).
Output:
This methodology will assist establishing the extent to which genes are able to move between separated populations. They may be panmictic (free movement), weakly separated or strongly separated. It provide inferences on the mechanism by which genes are transferred, pollen or seed. It will provide insight into the barriers hindering dispersal for pollen and seeds. It will also be possible to examine the degree of variation within each population alone.
Combined these will help future researchers understand the threat to these and similar plant populations by climate and land use change and potentially contribute to management practices.
Funding:
Currently I'm funding this project with a combination of funding from my department (£308) and I intend to match crowd raising funding via taking additional part-time employment. I'm looking to raise another few hundred pounds to help pay for the cost of lab materials for the genetic analyses. If sufficient funding comes in from the crowd-sourcing then I would ideally add a fourth population to my study, failing that I will be able to use a wider array of genetic markers.
Best regards,
James"
