Graduation Year

2026

Graduation Month

May

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

School or Department

Forestry and Conservation

Major

Environmental Science and Sustainability

Faculty Mentor Department

Division of Biological Sciences

Faculty Mentor

Meredith Zettlemoyer

Keywords

Morphology, Phlox, Missoula Phlox, Herbarium, Herbaria, Species

Subject Categories

Natural Resources and Conservation

Abstract

Western Phlox are incredibly diverse, found in a variety of habitats spanning lowland meadows to high alpine tundra. The genus contains around 65 unique species, often with overlapping trait variation that makes morphological and taxonomic delineation difficult. Phlox missoulensis, a cushion-forming species endemic to the Missoula Valley, inhabits lower-elevation, windy, arid ridgelines that mimic alpine conditions. Two nearby congeners, Phlox kelseyi and Phlox pulvinata, occupy partially overlapping ecological niches: P. kelseyi is found in wet meadows at similar elevations to P. missoulensis, while P. pulvinata is found in higher elevation environments. P. missoulensis exhibits morphological characteristics that are intermediate between these two sister species. However, it is currently unclear whether P. missoulensis is a unique species or a variety of a sister species. Herbarium specimens provide an effective approach for quantifying morphological variation across closely related taxa. We used herbarium specimens and ImageJ software to quantify trait variation in key morphological traits, including leaf length, leaf width, corolla tube length, and flowering time, across all three species. We found that P. kelseyi exhibited significantly wider leaves and longer corolla tubes, while P. pulvinata had the shortest leaves and flowered later than the other two species. P. missoulensis exhibited intermediate traits when analyzed against the two others. Multivariate trait analyses revealed that, although species occupied overlapping trait space, they differed significantly in overall trait composition, with leaf traits and flowering time explaining the most variation. P. kelseyi also had greater intraspecific trait variation than the other species. Though herbarium-derived traits can detect meaningful differences in mean traits between species, these results suggest that morphology alone does not fully delineate these taxa. This study informs future genomic sampling and conservation planning for P. missoulensis, a state species of concern, and provides insight into trait divergence and species boundaries in western Phlox.

Honors College Research Project

1

GLI Capstone Project

no

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© Copyright 2026 Jack David Hager and Meredith Zettlemoyer