This project will elucidate the mechanisms of adaptation to soil contaminated by copper mining using the wildflower Mimulus guttatus as a model system, through a combination of experimental field studies and genomic techniques. The researchers have genetically mapped one gene contributing to copper tolerance and now will estimate the fitness benefits of this gene in the field with a reciprocal transplant experiment. Because adaptation often proceeds by a series of small genetic changes, the investigators also aim to map additional genes contributing to copper tolerance, and determine how these genes interact and contribute to tolerance.
The recent advances in whole genome sequencing and molecular biology have enabled researchers to begin to identify genes that contribute to adaptation. This research project is unique in aiming to study the effects of multiple, interacting genes on an adaptive trait in natural populations. Copper tolerance of Mimulus is a textbook example of recent adaptation to environments contaminated with heavy metals as the result of human mining activity. By determining the underlying genetic basis of this adaptation this research will contribute to the understanding of basic mechanisms of evolution. This research will also contributed to the scientific training of future scientists, including underrepresented minorities and women.
