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Utilizing Molecular Genetic Markers to Develop Wild Rice Restoration and Management Guidelines for Great Lakes Coastal Habitats
American wild rice, a native emergent aquatic grass, once served important ecological, cultural, historical, and economic roles in the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan basins. Habitat loss and degradation have led to a dramatic change in wild rice populations, and restoration efforts have not proved successful, even in high-quality habitats, because of inbreeding and the associated loss of genetic diversity and fitness. The objectives of this project are to describe the genetic effects of fragmentation on threatened populations of wild rice, to perform genetic diversity studies on these remnant populations, and to quantify how inbreeding depression is affecting the subdivided populations. Knowledge of genetic diversity and patterns of inbreeding may play an important role in wild rice management and restoration efforts as well as helping identify the genetic threats facing imperiled wild life populations.
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