Project Grant 2327957

This $988,130 project grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program focuses on advancing understanding of the evolutionary history and ecological adaptations of the Montiaceae plant family. Led by researchers at Yale University, the project will construct a comprehensive phylogeny (evolutionary tree) for the Montiaceae, which contains ~250 species of annual and perennial herbs found across diverse environments like deserts, mountains, and Mediterranean regions. The work will examine how changes in photosynthetic physiology have integrated with shifts in plant lifespan and reproductive strategies as this group adapted to extreme environments. In addition to the phylogenetic analysis, the project will include field collections, greenhouse studies, gene expression analyses, and development of new bioinformatics tools. The research will provide training opportunities from undergraduates to postdocs, and help build collaborative partnerships with institutions in Argentina, Chile, and Peru. Overall, this project aims to establish the Montiaceae as a model system for understanding plant evolutionary biology and responses to environmental stressors.