This study will improve understanding of the role that soil conditions play in plant diversification. Although soil conditions have long been seen as a key component of plant ecology, little is understood about the effect of soil conditions on plant evolution and diversification. The proposed research will use the plant genus Ceanothus as a model system for the study of how soil conditions affect diversification. Ceanothus contains a large number of species that are associated with unusual soils, and is thus an ideal setting in which to study the influence of soil conditions in diversification. The proposed research will use genetic data to determine evolutionary relationships among Ceanothus species. These data will then be combined with information on soil chemistry to infer the role that soil conditions have played in the diversification of Ceanothus.
The proposed research will take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how soil conditions affect plant diversification, combining data and analytical methods from the disciplines of evolutionary biology, ecology, and soil science. Insights derived from this research, as well as the interdisciplinary approach that it develops, will apply to other groups of plants, particularly the large portion of plant diversity in which strong adaptations to soil conditions are observed. The proposed research will also advance understanding of North American plant diversity, foster international collaboration, result in the broad dissemination of research results within the scientific community, and benefit society through direct outreach in the form of guided hikes in Ceanothus habitats in the state of California, and writings directed at the general public.
