Thinking inside the Box: Tissue Culture for Plant Propagation in a Key Ecological Species, <i>Andropogon gerardii</i>

Abstract

Intraspecific diversity has widespread effects on ecological communities and ecosystems. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects, manipulative studies require a rigorous and efficient empirical approach. Yet, replicating sufficient numbers of genetically identical individuals remains a challenge. As a result, we are limited in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the ecological effects of intraspecific diversity. In contrast, large sample sizes are routinely produced in horticultural research using micropropagation, or tissue culture. In order to determine the potential usefulness of micropropagation technique for ecological studies, we investigated the efficiency and efficacy of micropropagation on the ecologically important non-model C4 grass species, Andropogon gerardii. Our preliminary results demonstrate that micropropagation is a rapid and effective technique for producing large numbers of genetically identical clones at up to 100 times the rate of traditional propagation. Key intraspecific differences among clones of A. gerardii were also retained through the micropropagation process. Given that traditional techniques used to test the effects of intraspecific diversity manipulations are time-limiting (greenhouse propagation) or can be biologically misrepresentative (seeds) for some species, we suggest that micropropagation might be a powerful tool for advancing ecological genetics studies in many plant systems.

Genetic and functional variation across regional and local scales is associated with climate in a foundational prairie grass

“…Importantly, our experimental design does not account for maternal effects (Galloway, 1995; Badyaev & Uller, 2009). Accounting for maternal variance in plant species that are long‐lived, primarily outcrossing, and/or clonally reproducing represents a substantial challenge (Hoffman & Smith, 2018), so we have therefore taken a more conservative Bayesian approach to the statistical analysis of phenotypes (Lemoine et al , 2016).…”

Development of an In Vitro Method of Propagation for Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata to Support Genome Sequencing and Genotype-by-Environment Research

“…Plants 2020, 9, 1717 2 of 16 GxE experiments aim at disentangling phenotypic plasticity from genomic processes. Comparing inbred lines and clones' responses to different treatments can markedly facilitate the disentangling of these processes [6,7]. Artemisia tridentata experiences outcrossing and has a generation time of approximately three years [8].…”

Restoring tropical forest–grassland mosaics invaded by woody exotics

“…Promoting Establishment of Native Grass and Forb Species (Stage III) III.1. Reintroducing Native Species Since propagation from seeds is difficult for TGB species (Dayrell et al 2016;Bond 2019;Buisson et al 2020), grassland restoration might require using vegetative propagation techniques such as transplanting seed-germinated grasses or individual tillers grown in pots (du Toit 2009; de Oliveira et al 2020), and propagation from bulbs, roots or micropropagation for herbaceous species (Biondo et al 2007;Hoffman & Smith 2018; more references in Buisson et al 2020). Although vegetative propagation can be a successful strategy in small-scale restoration efforts (Figueiredo et al 2018), it still requires the establishment and management of large nurseries, and significant scientific and technical expertise.…”