BIO 460 Senior Research
Stacy Evans
Consultant: Dr. Edwin Wong
Fall 2006

Nature of the project;
The proposed study will examine the effect of distribution on genetic variation in Podostemum ceratophyllum at the DNA level, comparing 10 populations north of the Wisconsin glacial boundary, 10 populations south of the boundary, and five populations on or at the boundary. This study will provide an independent line of evidence confirming or rejecting the results of Philbrick and Crow (1992), who found no variation north of the glacial boundary but extensive variation south of the glacial boundary utilizing protein variation.

Methods used in the project
Selected regions of the plant genome will be amplified by PCR, and sequenced. One of the DNA sequences to be analyzed is a non-coding region between genes in chloroplast DNA, designated trnH-psbA. The other is designated ITS (Internal Transcribed Spacer), which is similar to an intron in chromosomal DNA but found between genes in ribosomal RNA.