RAPID: Evolutionary Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Coastal Louisiana Iris Populations

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The Gulf of Mexico oil leak has the potential to cause lasting harm to the plant populations along the Gulf coastline. To better understand those effects, and to discover the genetic bases for stress responses, this project will produce a detailed, genetic map of Louisiana Irises and their hybrids. The work will incorporate sampling of previously identified coastal populations from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana and populations north of the Gulf in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya watersheds. In addtion, the project will use previously constructed hybrid populations that will be transplanted into contaminated and uncontaminated sites. Using previously identified genetic markers, the project will then identify possible genes that are involved in stress responses. This project has the potential to contribute to plant restoration projects that will be necessary following the cleanup of this ecological catastrophe. In addition, it will provide training for a postdoctoral scholar.