Evolution at extremes: Macroevolutionary responses to harsh environments

该项目旨在调查澳大利亚标志性植物群(桉树、相思树、班克西亚、格雷维利亚、哈克亚)在极端条件下适应生长的能力。澳大利亚为植物生存提供了许多极端条件，如干旱、高温或受盐分影响的土壤。是不是有些血统能够更好地适应这些条件并使之多样化？该项目旨在开发新的方法来确定对极端环境最耐受的谱系，检测有助于抗逆性的使能特征，并测试极端环境中的植物组合是由专业耐受者的殖民形成的，还是由当地物种适应形成的。这些方法可以预测最能适应全球环境变化条件的物种或群落。

The project seeks to investigate the capacity of iconic Australian plant groups (Eucalyptus, Acacia, Banksia, Grevillea, Hakea) to adapt to increases in extreme conditions. Australia presents many extreme conditions for plant survival, such as drought, heat, or salt-affected soils. Are some lineages better able to adapt and diversify in these conditions? This project aims to develop new methods to identify lineages most tolerant of extreme environments, detect enabling traits that contribute to stress resistance, and test whether plant assemblages in extreme environments are formed from colonisation by specialist tolerators, or by local species adapting. These methods may allow the prediction of species or communities best able to adapt to conditions expected under global environmental change.