Date of Award
Summer 8-2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Forestry
Department
Forestry
First Advisor
Dr. Brian P. Oswald
Second Advisor
Dr. Kathryn R. Kidd
Third Advisor
Dr. I-Kuai Hung
Abstract
East Texas forests contain three native pine species known to hybridize when site conditions are suitable. Due to increased gene flow from hybridization, quantifying hybridization spatially is a growing concern as southeastern United States pine forests are increasingly influenced by improved pine genetics and warmer, drier conditions from climate change. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) and spatial interpolation using Inverse Distance Weighted were conducted using terpenes extracted from needles of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and putative hybrid individuals sampled in Atlanta State Park, Tyler State Park, and Mission Tejas State Park (n =24; 14 overstory;10 advanced regeneration individuals). Through HPLC, 14 chromatogram peaks were identified and measured for intensity. T-Tests for overstory and advanced regeneration at each site indicated no significant differences for peak intensity between forest strata. Two-way ANOVA indicated the significance of six peaks for the site variable, five peaks for the species class variable, and one peak for their interaction. Tukey HSD tests indicated that the shortleaf pine to shortleaf x loblolly pine comparison was the most consistently significant when mean peak values were compared. From spatial interpolation, peak intensity was generally highest at the northeast, decreasing towards the southwest. Patterns of population scale species differentiation and individual responses to environmental stressors is implied, with increased sample quantity and geographic coverage recommended for more accurate representation. Understanding spatial patterns of species identity and resiliency to environmental stressors is valuable for the sustainable management of forests facing rapidly changing genetic compositions and climatic conditions.
Repository Citation
White, Gary, "AN ANALYSIS OF LOBLOLLY PINE AND SHORTLEAF PINE HYBRIDIZATION USING CHROMATOGRAPHY AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS: A CASE STUDY IN EAST TEXAS" (2021). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 402.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/402
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
