Date of Award

Spring 2024

Degree Type

Restricted to Claremont Colleges Dissertation

Degree Name

Botany, PhD

Program

Botany

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Carrie Kiel

Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member

Naomi Fraga

Terms of Use & License Information

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Rights Information

© 2024 Selena Vengco

Keywords

California, Conservation Genetics, Erythranthe, Monkeyflower, rare species

Subject Categories

Botany

Abstract

Erythranthe discolor is a rare, narrowly distributed annual, endemic to California and occurs in the southern Sierra Nevada in Kern and Tulare counties with known flower color polymorphisms. There are 133 known occurrences of E. discolor with the core of its range found in the Piute Mountains in Kern County, managed by Sequoia National Forest. The Piute Mountains has a varied land use history which includes off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, mining, logging, and residential development which has facilitated a network of roads and created opportunities for non-native plant invasion. These factors can alter the delicate habitat needed for E. discolor to germinate and reproduce thereby threatening its persistence. Erythranthe discolor is currently ranked as a 4.2, watch list, by the California Native Plant Society which suggests 20-80% of occurrences are under threat. Using conservation genomic techniques and analyses, this study aims to determine population structure and diversity metrics of E. discolor for in situ and ex situ conservation recommendations. In addition, baseline flower color information was taken across the core range in the Piute Mountains and may be used for further research on flower color polymorphisms in this system and across angiosperms.

ISBN

9798382772066

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Available for download on Friday, June 26, 2026

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