Divergence of novel, parallel, and speciation traits: the mechanisms and consequences of yellow monkeyflower adaptation to extreme geothermal habitats

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How do plants adapt to cope with extreme environments? What are the long- and short-term consequences of that adaptation? Understanding the genetic and physiological mechanisms that let a few plant species thrive in unusual, otherwise barren, habitats is both a fundamental scientific puzzle and a key to mitigating the effects of environmental change. This research investigates adaptation in the yellow monkeyflower, one of a handful of plants living in the extraordinarily hot soils of thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park. Using new genomics approaches, it will determine the genes underlying unique (e.g., heat tolerance) and repeatedly evolving traits, and ask how they contribute to survival, reproduction, and the development of new species. All focal traits are of agricultural interest, so this project may reveal stress-tolerance mechanisms transferable to crops, while also answering fundamental evolutionary questions. The project will train Montana students in cutting-edge genomics techniques and, through National Park-based outreach efforts, communicate the multiple values of natural diversity. The primary goals of the project are to identify genomic regions contributing to divergence in nine focal traits and to determine how they contribute to both local adaptation and species barriers. This will reveal: a) how plants cope with extreme environments; b) whether that imposes tradeoffs in performance under more benign conditions; c) which genetic pathways are used repeatedly during adaptation; and d) what are the key steps in the formation of new species. The research plan combines genetic mapping, physiological assays, and field surveys with whole-genome scans at multiple spatial scales.