This is an important innovation of my work and will provide a more detailed understanding of components of gene flow in tropical trees. The second phase of the project will estimate current gene flow from microsatellite marker paternity analyses of seeds in two sizes of forest fragments and continuous forest. This will determine the effective size of populations and the distance that genes are carried. Paternity pools in fragments and continuous forest can be compared to determine if fragments become genetically isolated and if fragment size influences levels of pollen exchange. The paternity analysis will also provide a means to estimate genetic structure in forest fragments in the future based on the diversity of plant matings after deforestation.
Trees are tall and sampling is slow and dangerous.
Notice the woodsman on the tree trunk clipping branches with a pruning pole to obtain a leaf sample for DNA extraction. This method of tree climbing does not damage trees. I am greatly indebted to them for sharing their knowledge of the forest and their hard work. The ultimate goal is to determine if deforestation alters historic patterns of genetic organization and the rate at which deforestation may cause genetic changes in tropical tree populations. Such quantitative measures of the impact of tropical forest fragmentation on the evolutionary dynamics of genetic variation are needed to predict the long-term impacts of deforestation.