A5061378180- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Plant and animal studies
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Bioenergy crop production and management
- Forest Management and Policy
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Agronomic Practices and Intercropping Systems
- Forest ecology and management
- Bioinformatics and Genomic Networks
- Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
- Plant responses to elevated CO2
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Economic and Environmental Valuation
- Plant and Fungal Interactions Research
Pennsylvania State University
2016-2025
Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy
2012-2020
Columbia University
2013-2019
Earth Island Institute
2014-2019
University of Pennsylvania
2017
The University of Texas at Austin
2009-2016
Flagstaff Medical Center
2016
Earth Science Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences
2014
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden
2013
Chinese Academy of Sciences
2013
Identifying adaptive loci can provide insight into the mechanisms underlying local adaptation. Genotype-environment association (GEA) methods, which identify these based on correlations between genetic and environmental data, are particularly promising. Univariate methods have dominated GEA, despite high dimensional nature of genotype environment. Multivariate analyse many simultaneously, may be better suited to data as they consider how sets markers covary in response These also more...
Genome-environment associations and phenotypic analyses may reveal the basis of environmental adaptation.
Few projects adequately address design and evaluation
Abstract The spatial structure of the environment (e.g. configuration habitat patches) may play an important role in determining strength local adaptation. However, previous studies heterogeneity and adaptation have largely been limited to simple landscapes, which poorly represent multiscale common nature. Here, we use simulations pursue two goals: (i) explore how landscape heterogeneity, dispersal ability selection affect adaptation, (ii) evaluate performance several genotype–environment...
Abstract Arabidopsis thaliana inhabits diverse climates and exhibits varied phenology across its range. Although A. is an extremely well‐studied model species, the relationship between geography, growing season climate genetic variation poorly characterized. We used redundancy analysis (RDA) to quantify association of genomic [214 051 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)] with geography among 1003 accessions collected from 447 locations in Eurasia. identified variables most correlated...
Abstract Theory predicts shifts in the magnitude and direction of biodiversity effects on ecosystem function ( BEF ) over succession, but this theory remains largely untested. We studied relationship between aboveground tree biomass dynamics (Δbiomass) multiple dimensions 8–16 years eight successional rainforests. tested whether changes diversity–Δbiomass correlations reflect predictions niche theories. Diversity–Δbiomass were positive early weak later suggesting saturation space with...
Significance The assembly of ecological communities results from multiple mechanisms acting concurrently. Disentangling their relative importance represents a major challenge. Our study quantifies the four trait-mediated and associated changes in functional diversity over succession. We leverage rapid community tropical successional forests rich information trait data spatially explicit long-term tree demographic data. Trait correlations with average species survival rates were most...
A fundamental goal in plant biology is to identify and understand the variation underlying plants' adaptation their environment. Climate change has given new urgency this goal, as society aims accelerate of ecologically important species, endangered crops hotter, less predictable climates. In pre-genomic era, identifying adaptive alleles was painstaking work, leveraging genetics, molecular biology, physiology, ecology. Now, rise genomics computational approaches may facilitate research....
Gene expression varies widely in natural populations, yet the proximate and ultimate causes of this variation are poorly known. Understanding how gene affects abiotic stress tolerance, fitness, adaptation is central to field evolutionary genetics. We tested hypothesis that genes with genetic their responses likely be involved local climate Arabidopsis thaliana. Specifically, we compared consistent environmental (expression responsive, "eSR") genetically variable genotype-by-environment...
An evolutionary response to selection requires genetic variation; however, even if it exists, then the details of variation can constrain adaptation. In simplest case, unlinked loci and uncorrelated phenotypes respond directly multivariate permit unrestricted paths adaptive peaks. By contrast, 'antagonistic' pleiotropic may adaptation by affecting many traits limiting direction trait correlations vectors that are not favoured selection. However, certain configurations improve conditions for...
Drought-induced proline accumulation is widely observed in plants but its regulation and adaptive value are not as well understood. Proline of the Arabidopsis accession Shakdara (Sha) was threefold less than that Landsberg erecta (Ler) quantitative trait loci mapping identified a reduced function allele synthesis enzyme Δ(1)-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase1 (P5CS1) basis for lower Sha. Sha P5CS1 had additional TA repeats intron 2 G-to-T transversion 3 were sufficient to promote...
Abstract Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) exhibits natural genetic variation in drought response, including varying levels of proline (Pro) accumulation under low water potential. As Pro is potentially important for stress tolerance and cellular redox control, we conducted a genome-wide association (GWAS) study potential-induced using panel accessions publicly available single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data sets. Candidate genomic regions were prioritized subsequent metrics considering...
Summary Chromosomal inversions can provide windows onto the cytogenetic, molecular, evolutionary and demographic histories of a species. Here we investigate paracentric 1.17‐Mb inversion on chromosome 4 Arabidopsis thaliana with nucleotide precision its borders. The is created by Vandal transposon activity, splitting an F‐box relocating pericentric heterochromatin segment in juxtaposition euchromatin without affecting epigenetic landscape. Examination RegMap panel 1001 genomes revealed more...
Identifying the processes that maintain highly diverse plant communities remains a central goal in ecology. Species variation growth and survival rates across ontogeny, represented by tree size classes life history stage-specific niche partitioning, are potentially important mechanisms for promoting forest diversity. However, role of ontogeny mediating competitive dynamics functional diversity is not well understood, particular high-diversity systems such as tropical forests. The interaction...
Abiotic constraints and biotic interactions act simultaneously to shape communities. However, these community assembly mechanisms are often studied independently, which can limit understanding of how they interact affect species dynamics distributions. We develop a hierarchical Bayesian neighborhood modeling approach quantify the simultaneous effects topography crowding by neighbors on growth 124,704 individual stems ≥1 cm DBH for 1,047 tropical tree in 25-ha mapped rainforest plot Amazonian...
Host–parasite coevolution can maintain high levels of genetic diversity in traits involved species interactions. In many systems, host exploited by parasites are constrained use other functions, leading to complex selective pressures across space and time. Here, we study genome-wide variation the staple crop Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench its association with parasitic weed Striga hermonthica (Delile) Benth., a major constraint food security Africa. We hypothesize that geographic selection...
Abstract Much of the world's tropical forests have been affected by anthropogenic disturbance. These are important biodiversity reservoirs whose diversity, structure and function must be characterized across successional sequence. We examined changes in diversity along a gradient lowlands New Guinea. To do this, we measured identified all stems ≥5 cm diameter 19 0.25 ha plots ranging age from 3 to >50 yr since also plant functional traits related establishment, performance, competitive...
Summary Second‐growth forests account for 40% of the terrestrial forest carbon sink and represent dominant cover in tropical regions. Uncertainties predicting responses these ecosystems to climate change arise from high tree species diversity, complex links between eco‐physiology demography, role ontogeny competition mediating individual climate. The dynamic nature second‐growth adds further uncertainty our ability quantify relative importance successional trajectories. To address...
Summary Successional gradients are ubiquitous in nature, yet few studies have systematically examined the evolutionary origins of taxa that specialize at different successional stages. Here we quantify habitat specialization Neotropical forest trees and evaluate its lability along a precipitation gradient. Theoretically, should be more evolutionarily conserved wet forests than dry due to extreme microenvironmental differentiation between early late‐successional stages forest. We applied...
Significance Abscisic acid (ABA) accumulates to high levels during drought stress, and ABA levels, in turn, control many downstream responses that determine plant growth, productivity, survival drought. Despite the central importance of ABA, we know little how stress elicits accumulation, different aspects metabolism are coordinated match level severity, or variation accumulation may contribute environmental adaptation. When exposed an equal severity water limitation, Arabidopsis thaliana...
Abstract Epigenetic changes can occur due to extracellular environmental conditions. Consequently, epigenetic mechanisms play an intermediate role translate signals intracellular changes. Such a might be particularly important in plants, which often show strong local adaptation and have the potential for heritable states. However, little is currently known about of variation ecological adaptation. Here, we used multivariate redundancy analyses examine genomewide associations between DNA...