Peripheral isolates as hotbeds of adaptive diversity

Small isolated populations on the periphery of a species' range are typically considered a poor conservation investment. Nonetheless, these peripheral isolates may represent populations which, over thousands of years, have pre-adapted to climatic conditions that will manifest in the broader species' range within the next hundred. This project develops spatial analyses for predicting the location of such pre-adapted populations; will test these predictions against field-collected data; and then develop genetic markers suitable for detecting adaptive diversity at climate-relevant traits. In doing so, the project will generate new molecular and analytical tools critical to the management of biodiversity under climate change.