Evolutionary limits

This proposal aims to understand the processes that limit adaptation to rapid environmental change. The capacity to adapt to rapid environmental change will be a major determinant of population persistence. Emerging evidence suggests that species with restricted distributions lack the genetic variation necessary to adapt to changing environments. This is significant because restricted species represent the vast majority of biodiversity. Understanding why they lack the necessary genetic variation for adaptation is of prime importance for identifying and managing vulnerable biological systems. This proposal will empirically determine the contribution of mutations to key traits to better understand what limits evolutionary adaptation.