Population genetics of adaptation in wild tomatoes

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Wild tomato species, native to western South America and the Galapagos Islands, are an evolutionary plant model system. Although wild tomatoes have a relatively recent origin, they exhibit considerable morphological and functional variation, much of which is thought to be adaptive. For instance, they dwell in a variety of habitats, spanning a wide range of temperatures and water availability and are therefore exposed to different abiotic stress regimes. The goal of this project is to analyze the evolution of “candidate genes” influencing two stress responses, cold adaptation and drought tolerance. Using DNA sequencing of population samples collected in habitats of different environmental conditions and a suite of statistical techniques, we will determine whether these genes have been subject to recent selection.