Sedgwick Reserve

26 May, 02 AM - 26 May, 11 AM

Biodiversity is caused by adaptation to divergent habitats. Serpentine soils which are prevalent in California, have led to divergent adaptation and harbor many endemic plant species as a result. Specific adaptations are necessary to allow plants to survive in these harsh environments. I will explore the steps involved in adaptation using species in the genus Leptosiphon. Most of these species are not serpentine endemics, but posses population level variation in the ability to survive on serpentine soils. This allows me to investigate adaptation during an early stage of divergence. I plan to investigate the genetic basis of serpentine adaptation in this group by performing next generation sequencing on populations that live both on and off serpentine soils to look for outlier loci. These loci are candidates for genes (or linked to genes) that confer serpentine adaptation. The ultimate goal will be to create near isogenic lines (NILs) where candidate serpentine gene regions are introgressed into the genetic background of non-serpentine populations and then grown on serpentine soil to assess the effect sizes of each gene region. I will investigate whether different species exhibit the same genetic basis for serpentine adaptation and how many genes are necessary for survival on serpentine soil.

Visit #25090 @Sedgwick Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 23699 | Research

The genetic basis of serpentine adaptation in Leptosiphon

graduate_student - Michigan State University

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Emily Dittmar May 26, 2011 (1 days)

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Day Use Only 1 May 26 (9 hours)