Kelli Gibson An ISSR-PCR Assessment of Genetic Variation within the Grapeferns Sceptridium lunarioides and S. jenmanii Division Sciences Department Biology Year 2004 Advisor Warren Hauk

Sceptridium lunarioides and S. jenmanii are species of North American grapeferns found across portions of the southeastern United States. Neither species has been surveyed for within-species genetic variation. For this project, we sampled 13 populations of S. lunarioides across five states and three populations of S. jenmanii across three states. Three ISSR-PCR (inter-simple sequence repeat polymerase chain reaction) primers generated 29 polymorphic loci. Hickory analyses generated an FST value of 0.53 and an FIS of 0.60. Neighbor Joining, Maximum Parsimony, and UPGMA cluster analyses were consistent with FST estimates and showed evidence of greater genetic structuring within S. lunarioides than has been recorded in Ophioglossaceae; distinct clusters corresponded to LA + MS, AL, FL, and GA. S. jenmanii demonstrated similar clustering patterns, but analyses are not yet complete. Based on FIS estimates, S. lunarioides may have a mixed mating system, unlike that of other species of Ophioglossaceae.