National Wetlands Research Center

Conservation Genetics

Conservation genetics is a relatively new field of biology that attempts to combine the sciences of ecology and genetics. Research in this field is producing information that can aid in the preservation of the genetic diversity of plant and animal populations which may be important to the ability of species to adapt to environmental change. In forestry, conservation geneticists are interested in the distribution of genetic variation among and within forest stands, gene exchange among stands, and the preservation of natural and cultivated forest populations as genetic resources for future use.

Research

• The Impact of Fragmentation and Changing Land-use Dynamics on the Preservation/Restoration and Management on Genetic Diversity (Dr. Susan L. Grace)
  
  
• Genetic Diversity in Fragmented Bottomland Hardwood Forests (Drs. Susan L. Grace and Glenn Guntenspergen, Northern Prairie Science Center)
  
  
• Vegetation Structure and Diversity in Managed Pine Forests (Dr. Susan L. Grace and Craig Hedman, International Paper Co.)

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