Adaptation
Global change and urbanization expose plants to environmental stresses. Individual plants first respond to these stressful conditions at the molecular level, which then scale up to affect leaf-level physiology and whole plant growth. As each individual responds to new abiotic conditions, the genetic structure of the population will change. We study multiple aspects of an individual's phenotype - from gene regulation through fitness - to understand the mechanisms by which selection changed the genetic structure of a population.
Related Research and Collaborators: Melinda Smith, Konza Prairie, Rainfall Manipulation Plots, Ecological Homogenization of America
Relevant Publications
- Avolio, ML, Hoffman, AM, Smith, MD. 2018. Responses to and recovery from severe and moderate drought over time: linking gene regulation, physiology and plant biomass allocation. Plant Ecology 219: 1-15.
- Avolio, M, Beaulieu, J, Smith MD. 2013. Genetic diversity of a dominant C4 grass is altered with increased precipitation variability. Oecologia 171: 571-581.
- Avolio, M and Smith, MD. 2013. Mechanisms of selection: phenotypic differences among genotypes explain patterns of selection in a dominant species. Ecology 94: 953-965.
- Avolio, M and Smith, MD. 2013. Intra-specific responses of a dominant C4 grass to altered precipitation patterns. Plant Ecology 214: 1377-1389.