DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the Biological Relevance of Environmental Variation: How Does Heterogeneity Influence Adaptation and Phenotypic Plasticity in an Invasive Plant?

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Plant distributions are, in part, determined by underlying patterns of variation in the environment. Adaptation of plant species to unique environments, such as harsh soil chemistry, has been demonstrated in several natural systems. Despite these examples plant adaptation to local environmental conditions appears to be rare relative to the more common alternative to adaptation, flexible trait expression. This research will document patterns of variation in soil chemistry in a unique and threatened natural system, serpentine soils in Northern California. When combined with extensive field experiments on the invasive plant species, Erodium cicutarium, this research will provide a novel insight into how patterns of variation in environmental factors drive plant adaptation to novel environments. Serpentine soils provide a unique environment, which supports many endemic plant species and provides a refuge for other native plant species excluded from their former habitats by invasives. This research will support the continued conservation of these important and threatened habitats by both improving the understanding of how invasive plant species encroach upon serpentine soils and making data obtained widely available to other scientists conducting research in this threatened habitat. Additionally, this research has incorporated the participation of undergraduates from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Undergraduates have participated in this research as research assistants and by conducting award winning independent experiments.