Research Training Program

Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of Natural History

PROJECT SUMMARY
1993

Karen Beard
University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, California

Paula DePriest, Ph.D.
Project Advisor
Department of Botany

"Even though I don't plan to do systematic research in the future, the knowledge that I gained through this experience will be extremely useful to me. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in biology. Not only did I learn a great deal from my project advisor, but I also learned a lot about the museum setting. This information is essential for anyone in the science field."

Karen Beard

Variation in the Distribution of Group I Introns in the Lichen: Cladina subtenuis

Populations, from five geographical locations, of the "reindeer lichen", Cladina subtenuis, were studied in this project. C. subtenuis is composed of an ascomycetes fungus and a green algae, Trebouxia and it is the most commonly found "reindeer lichen" in the southeastern portion of the United States. The purpose of this project was to determine whether the SSU rDNA PCR (small subunit ribosomal DNA polymerase chain reaction) product and rDNA restriction pattern types differed within mats and among mats in C. subtenuis. Insertions were found in every podetium sampled. There was no variation of PCR product length found within a mat, but there was variation found between mats from different locations and within a location. All insertions were mapped out as introns and three different pattern types were found. The results suggest that mats represent one single individual and that sexual reproduction is not uncommon in C. subtenuis. These results also give evidence for molecular evolution within this species.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (Award: BIR-9300225).