Shore Pine cone and seed dispersal

Abstract

With the mentorship of Professor Dr. Brian Buma I have started a research project testing the hypothesis of shore pine cone and seed dispersal via ocean currents to prove areas of coastal refugia are how the species survived periods of glaciation and been migrated northward since. This is a theory that has not been experimented so there is possibility of publication opportunities for my work. I went out and collected pine cones from areas around Juneau close to shorelines where they could possibly have been transported via the ocean. I will be running experiments with floating and submerging seeds and cones in salt water bins then placing in petri dishes to germinate in order to test for viability after salt water exposure. I will carefully monitor results and analyze against known ocean currents and distances between islands to theorize the dispersal and migration post glaciations of shore pine in southeast Alaska.