About This Project

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

I am studying evolutionary relationships and ecological niche differentiation (movement into new habitats) for a group of alpine and sub-alpine plants that occur in a disjunct (widely separated by areas unoccupied by the plants) distribution between Eastern Asia and North America. The majority of the species diversity appears to be in western North America, but very little is known about foreign counterparts where I intend also to do research.

I want to characterize the habitat of many of the species that I am currently describing as new to science (at least 8 in California alone), and project a model of this habitat into past climate regimes (Last Glacial Maximum) to better understand how these plants have moved around through time and space. Did I mention these plants may have hybridized quite a bit while running away from Glaciers and Deserts in relatively recent history? The morphology (form) and their well documented history of polyploidy (abnormal chromosomal duplication) tell it all... Did this help them survive rapid climate change?

What is the significance of this project?

I love the alpine zone and its cryptic diversity. It is the final frontier of botany, and somebody has to figure out where these plants are going to go if the climate gets warmer, because it sure isn't going to be UPHILL when these plants are already restricted to the top!

I have selected a group of primarily alpine and sub-alpine plants that may be imperiled in a warming climate situation. Do many of the species have a chance to survive if we don't help them in some way? This is unclear, but accessing the sites where these plants occur makes tough work on its own as they often occur above 12,000 ft, and require several day backpacking expeditions and climbing rocks to access populations during only the early spring months. In combination with visiting sites across the breadth of the range of Claytonia (Spring Beauties) in Eastern Asia and North America, it is a challenging but rewarding project.

Understanding where we have come from gives us a better understanding of how we make our next steps toward sustainability. In a warming climate, plants near the tops of our highest peaks have been shown to be the most at risk. We must characterize the diversity in our own backyard if we have plans to live in a future world that looks anything like it does today! To better understand evolution and evolutionary processes, we must also look to the past. Has hybridization been intricately linked to the success of flowering plants through their history from the time of their origin?

What are the goals of the project?

All donations will be tax-deductible as Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden will be the financial receiver. Believe in the power of the crowd and consider a $10 pledge to get a color reprint of a new journal issue from Aliso which contains my most recent publication: Discovery of Claytonia lanceolata var. peirsonii in the San Bernardino Mountains Perpetuates a History of Taxonomic Uncertainty. This manuscript summarizes the premise for this study of the Claytonia lanceolata species complex and has some interesting information on new discoveries in the group.

Funds will facilitate innovative, highly trans-disciplinary and collaborative research at multiple institutions, combining cutting edge DNA Sequencing technology ("Next Generation Sequencing") with Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridization (painting chromosomes like tube socks) and niche modeling (characterizing habitat use). These data will be used to better understand the long history of hybridization, specialization, speciation, and possibly extinction in a group of plants primarily restricted to alpine and sub-alpine habitats in both the Old and New Worlds.

In addition to color reprints, See here for how you can help name a new species for a $3000 pledge if the project meets its goal!