PNAS Front Matter included an article about our recently-published paper in the American Naturalist synthesizing studies on local adaptation to abiotic and biotic environments. Includes photo of the charismatic, Clarkia xantiana!

Shelley Sianta started as a postdoc with the Brandvain and Moeller labs to work on evolutionary theory and population genomics of plant speciation. She comes to UMN from UC Santa Cruz where she completed her PhD in Kathleen Kay's lab. Her dissertation examined adaptive divergence and speciation in the California serpentine flora.

Ryan, Amanda, and Dave worked with other UMN collaborators on a synthesis of local adaptation that compares the strength of local adaptation to abiotic versus biotic environments. It also examines the latitudinal variation in the strength of the effects of abiotic and biotic environments on fitness. It combines a quantitative meta-analysis of published datasets with … Continue reading Meta-analysis published in American Naturalist

The second chapter of John's dissertation uses a reciprocal transplant experiment combined with the manipulation of biotic interactions (herbivory and pollination) to examine the extent to which biotic interactions determine fitness inside and beyond the geographic range of Clarkia xantiana. This paper follows up on his previous paper on this topic, which was published in … Continue reading John’s paper on biotic interactions and geographic range limits in press at Evolution

Amanda Gorton conducted a common garden study in Minnesota of 26 populations of common ragweed spanning a latitudinal range from Minnesota to Louisiana. She was particularly interested in how populations responded to future patterns of rainfall predicted under climate change. She simulated both an increase and decrease in rainfall across her experimental site using rainout … Continue reading Amanda’s paper on adaptation to climate change in press at Oecologia

Each year, the U. of Minnesota awards the Hamm Memorial Scholarship to one graduate student in the latter phases of their PhD. This is the most prestigious award in the plant sciences at UMN. This year the committee could not decide between Amanda and John and so awarded the scholarship to both! Incredibly proud of … Continue reading Amanda and John BOTH receive the prestigious Philip C. Hamm Memorial Scholarship!

John, Amanda, and Dave were awarded an Institute on the Environment Mini Grant to pilot a new urban citizen science project, City Backyard Science. The three main areas the project addresses are: Conservation: How do we increase urban greening, habitat heterogeneity, and biodiversity? (There has been encouraging work showing that small green areas in cities … Continue reading Backyard Science project receives pilot funding!

John Benning was selected to receive the President's Student Leadership and Service Award (PSLSA), which recognizes the accomplishments and contributions of outstanding student leaders at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. It is presented to approximately one-tenth of one percent of the student body for their exceptional leadership and service to the University of Minnesota … Continue reading John receives President’s Student Leadership and Service Award!

Ryan was interviewed about our paper describing species distribution models for Palmer amaranth. Paper includes Tom and Peter Tiffin as co-authors. Check it out here!

On February 21 at 5:24pm Harriet Ann Gorton Willis (aka Hattie) was born to Amanda Gorton and Charlie Willis! Congrats to all!!