Niche Conservatism, Functional Trait Evolution and the Diversification of the California Vernal Pool Flora

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California vernal pools are unique ecological communities that form in shallow depressions in grasslands. The pools fill with water during the winter rainy season, and then dry up in summer. Vernal pools are occupied by a diverse array of annual plant species, many of which are found exclusively in California, and they harbor endangered fairy shrimp and tiger salamanders. This project will study the diversity and ecology of vernal pool plants to understand how these unique communities arose in relation to changing climates over the past 5-10 million years, and to determine how the species partition the environment of the vernal pools, for example by living in deeper vs. shallower locations, allowing many species to coexist.It is estimated that 90% of the original vernal pools of California have been destroyed by urbanization and agriculture. These threats persist, together with the added uncertainty of the effects of global climate change. Results of this project will be of direct value for vernal pool conservation and restoration projects. Knowledge gained in this project will be disseminated to the public through web pages, education of docents at parks and reserves, and a conservation white paper aimed at resource managers responsible for land-use planning and management of vernal pool complexes.