Project Grant 2539081

The National Science Foundation Division of Emerging Frontiers awarded $694,162 to University of California Irvine on August 15, 2026, for collaborative research examining how plants coordinate physical structures, physiological processes, and chemical defenses as integrated systems shaped by combined drought and herbivory pressures, supported under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074).

The research uses milkweeds (Asclepias) as a study system to investigate trait integration across 30 closely related species adapted to environments ranging from deserts to wetlands. The work will identify how plants adapt to simultaneous environmental stressors rather than individual pressures in isolation, with direct applications to improving crop resilience under water stress and pest pressure. The research is conducted by a collaborative team across three participating institutions and will train staff and graduate and undergraduate students.

Performance takes place in Irvine, California, with a period of performance through July 31, 2030. An integrated broader-impacts initiative partners with the Orange County Department of Education's Inside the Outdoors Program, through which undergraduate interns at UCI will co-develop K–12 curriculum and fieldwork on plant function and environmental change, reaching over 300 K–12 students annually. All research data, outputs, and educational tools will be made openly available.