Dissertation Research: Evolution and Ecological Change in the Domestication Process: Insights from the Incipiently Domesticated Fruit Tree, Byrsonima crassifolia (Malpighiaceae)

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The rise of agriculture and ensuing domestication of plants and animals was a pivotal step in human history and evolution, permitting population settlement and the rise of civilizations. Domestication causes morphological, genetic, and ecological changes in cultivated plants over time, and is increasingly becoming a model for understanding evolutionary processes. Few data exist documenting the process of genetic and ecological change in species early in domestication, before domestication has resulted in dependency on humans for survival. Byrsonima crassifolia is a fruit tree that grows wild in savannas and dry forests of Latin America, and also has a long history of cultivation in some parts of its range. The proposed research will use this incipiently domesticated species as a model to achieve three objectives: 1) test predictions of early genetic changes accompanying plant domestication; 2) investigate changes in ecological distribution during early domestication; and 3) identify reproductive and population genetic implications of habitat change in three landscape types. The proposed research will integrate genetic data and ecological modeling to test hypotheses deriving from the dual human impacts of plant cultivation and landscape change. It will increase our general understanding of the processes of domestication, and will indicate how patterns of land use can influence diverse food crops. This project has three areas of broader impacts. First it will increase international collaboration and scientific exchange between the United States and Latin America. Second, undergraduate students will be mentored. Finally, through a local graduate-student run organization, this project will provide the opportunity for under-represented high school students to experience scientific research outside the classroom.