Title: Ecology and evolution of peatmosses (Sphagnum)
Instructor: Dr. Jon Shaw
Dates: February 5, 7, 12, 14, 19
Times: 7–9PM ET
Tuition Cost: $225
Description: Sphagnum-dominated peatlands form in waterlogged habitats around the Northern Hemisphere and store huge amounts of carbon in the form of partially decomposed plant material – Sphagnum peat. These peatlands have been a focus for community ecologists for nearly a century so there is a lot known about the niches and ecology of northern Sphagnum species. More recently, Sphagnum has become a “model” for studying how plants and their associated microbes respond to changing climates, and much has been learned about the genomes of Sphagnum species and some of their associates.
This seminar will provide an overview of peatmoss systematics/taxonomy, biogeography, morphology, and ecology. In our first meeting we provide a phylogenetic, morphological, and taxonomic overview of the Sphagnopsida, which includes Sphagnum as well as three smaller but related genera: Ambuchanannia, Eosphagnum, and Flatbergium. We will then focus on morphological and ecological divergence among the subgenera within Sphagnum, including evidence of interspecific (and inter-subgeneric) hybridization. In our third meeting we focus on the reproductive biology of Sphagnum and consider issues surrounding sexual- vs asexual reproduction, sexual mating patterns in natural populations, spore production and dispersal, and the recent discovery of sex chromosomes in Sphagnum. Our last two sessions will focus on the systematics of critical species complexes within Sphagnum and will include unpublished results of ongoing research. In week 4 we will discuss current research on the “S. magellanicum complex”, which is now known to include four species in North America. During our last meeting we will focus on the “S. capillifolium_ complex”, including species delimitation, phylogenetic relationships, biogeographic patterns, and hybridization in this group of important peat-formers.
About the Instructor: Jon Shaw (sh...@duke.edu) is a Professor of Biology at Duke University, where he has been on the faculty since 1996. Although he studied with Drs. Dale Vitt and Howard Crum, two leaders in peatland ecology and Sphagnum taxonomy, Jon did not develop an interest in Sphagnum until he arrived at Duke and was much influenced by Dr. Lewis Anderson. For the last 20 years, he has worked on the systematics and population genetics of various peatmoss groups. He is an active and enthusiastic field biologist and likes to integrate field experience with molecular data to better understand peatmoss ecology and evolution.
