Collaborative Research: Ecological and Evolutionary-Genetic Limits to Range Expansion

The goal of the project is to understand the ecological and genetic factors that prevent an organism from living in environments that are outside its current geographic distribution. For the plant, Clarkia xantiana, the researchers will quantify: (1) the degree to which populations are adapted to their local environment; (2) the potential for populations to adapt to novel environments; (3) migration of individuals from the interior to the edge of the range, which may impede adaptation; and (4) the risk of extinction of populations at the range edge. Environmental conditions in and outside the current range will also be quantified. The data will be obtained from experimental studies of populations in the field, molecular genetic studies in the lab, and GIS modeling. Together, these data will allow the researchers to evaluate predictions from theoretical models.

The results from this research will help us understand why animal and plant species occur where they do and not elsewhere and what sets the limits biodiversity in a given area. Answers to these questions are important for understanding the effects of anthropogenic change on the long-term success of species. Undergraduate students from a 4-year college and two universities will participate in the study. The researchers will also be involved in public education on biodiversity in southern California where the study will be conducted.