Investigating the mechanisms of local adaptation at global scales

Abstract:
Local adaptation is widely observed across the tree of life, yet we still know little about its phenotypic and genomic basis. Furthermore, regional heterogeneity across a species range may preclude global genotype-environment correlations, resulting in region-specific local adaptations. My research examines how environmental gradients shape phenotypic and genomic variation in range-wide natural populations. Using natural genetic variation in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the invasive grass Bromus tectorum, I integrate whole-genomes, life history, and ecophysiology to identify the mechanisms of local adaptation at a global scale. In A. thaliana I examine selection associated with elevation in different mountain ranges. In B. tectorum, I investigate the role of multiple introductions in local adaptation and invasive spread. With these projects, I aim to develop a deeper understanding of the evolutionary processes that maintain diversity in plant populations and the effect of anthropogenic global change.

About the Speaker:
Dr. Diana Gamba is a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Jesse Lasky’s lab in the Department of Biology. She earned her PhD at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, studying how life history traits affect plant gene flow at different spatial scales, with a focus on the effect of different animal pollinators in a broad phylogenetic context. Her current work focuses on understanding the mechanisms of local adaption in range-wide, or poorly studied, plant populations.

Contact

Ying Gu
yug13@psu.edu