NSF-DEB Bridging Ecology & Evolution (BEE):
Ecological and evolutionary processes affecting the co-existence of close relatives
Study System: North American Lobelia (Campanulaceae)
Fabulous Co-PIs: Chris Blackwood, Lynda Delph, Nico Cellinese & Grant Godden A key factor affecting biodiversity is the number of species that can live in the same place at the same time. However, not all species can co-exist and the rules regulating co-existence are not completely understood. This project investigates the co-occurence of closely related wildflower species in habitats throughout eastern North America. Closely related species are likely to have similar traits and similar ecological needs. On one hand, similarities may result in close relatives being more likely to live in the same environments. On the other hand, similarities may cause close relatives to compete or interfere with one another during growth and reproduction, making it difficult for close relatives to co-occur in the long term. |
This research will improve our understanding of how ecological and evolutionary processes affect co-existence and biodiversity. We will sample from multiple populations of 24 wildflower species in Lobelia sect. Lobelia (Campanulaceae) across their ranges in eastern North America to document where they live and how often they co-occur (see figure above). The study will determine how present-day patterns of co-occurrence are affected by ecological and evolutionary processes, such as degree of relatedness, trait similarity, habitat characteristics, or historical migration. Investigations will include determination of species relationships via phylogenomics, key components of each species’ niche via microsite and trait characterization, and the degree to which species interfere with one another’s growth or reproduction. Whether interference affects their likelihood of co-existing will be determined using field measurements of reproductive traits, experimental crosses, and transplant experiments.
We are recruiting research assistants to work with us!
The Case & Blackwood labs at Kent State will be responsible for documenting the geographic distributions of all eastern North American Lobelia species using both digital database records and extensive field sampling. We will determine how often and how closely these Lobelia species co-occur, and explain patterns of co-occurrence using information about their ecological niches and reproductive traits. Student researchers will be involved in detailed analyses of soil characteristics and microbiomes as well plant-trait variation, floral design and reproductive interactions, including hybridization.