March 2014

Drought events have significant impacts on domestic use, agriculture, and ecosystems. Water shortage is projected to increase with globally rising temperatures and the increasing demand for this resource. This will likely be one of the major limitations for future development in drought limited regions like Tanzania. Socio-economic development and natural resource productivity in Tanzania are mostly depending on water availability.

Climate change, invasive species and other global challenges are agents of selection that are affecting the ecology and evolution of foundation plant species (cottonwood, pine, eucalypts).  These impacts cascade to affect whole communities of associated species and their ecosystem processes.  Using observational studies in the wild and common garden experiments we partition genetic and environmental variation and show how gene by environmental interactions are redefining communities composed of 1000s of species.  Using an array of common gardens where the same genotypes, populations and mul