The Population Genetics of Adaptation to a Drought in the Annual Plant, Brassica Rapa

Rachel Shannon Welt, Fordham University

Abstract

Climate change is a major environmental concern and one of the greatest threats to biodiversity (Williams et al. 2008, Bellard et al. 2012). Climate experts agree that the earth is warming at a rate faster than should be expected naturally, and that human practices are driving these and other climatic changes (Crowley 2000, Karl & Trenberth 2003, Solomon et al. 2007). Current change is resulting in an increase in global temperatures, greater variability in precipitation, and an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme climatic events such as droughts, floods, and hurricanes (Peterson et al. 2012). Climate modeling predicts an increase in global temperatures and a continuation of its associated effects through the coming century (Solomon et al. 2007, Williams et al. 2008), while ecological projections suggest that these changes will have major consequences for global biodiversity and may potentially lead to a mass extinction event (Hannah et al. 2002, Brook et al. 2009, Bellard et al. 2012)

Subject Area

Biology

Recommended Citation

Welt, Rachel Shannon, "The Population Genetics of Adaptation to a Drought in the Annual Plant, Brassica Rapa" (2012). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI13851741.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI13851741

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