Date

February 28, 2025

Time

12:00 pm

Location

ESC 2144

Host: M. Bontrager

The abstract:

Evolution can be context-dependent. Thus, the evolution of ecologically important traits may vary depending on environmental conditions, demographic history, and genetic architecture. For my thesis, I will investigate the evolution of phenotypic variation in three separate plant species using diverse approaches. In Chapter 1, I explore an urban-rural cline in the flower colour polymorphism of Hesperis matronalis by a) identifying whether a previously identified urban-rural cline in eastern Ontario exists globally and b) comparing the strength of selection acting on flower colour in both urban and rural populations. In Chapter 2, I investigate spatial and temporal variation in the genetic architecture behind a flowering time cline in Ambrosia artemisfolia by a) determining whether the frequency of the chromosomal inversions responsible for flowering time has changed over the past decade in populations across North America, Europe, and Australia and b) investigating if the linkage of loci within these inversions has become maladaptive. In Chapter 3, I examine population variation in the life history strategies of Streptanthus tortuosus by a) using a greenhouse common garden experiment to identify if populations vary in the vegetative size required to flower, b) analyzing if population differentiation in the size-dependency of flowering correlates with environmental variation, c) measuring variation in this trait in natural populations, and d) performing a bulk segregant analysis to investigate the genetic basis of this variation. The results of my dissertation will provide valuable insights into how diverse evolutionary and ecological contexts can shape the course of adaptation.