Thursday February 5 - Morrison Center

How Local is Local?
Adaptation, Speciation and Conservation
By John McKay, Ph.D., Colorado State University

In plant conservation, restoration (the augmentation or re-establishment of an extinct population) is a valuable tool to mitigate the loss of habitat. However, restoration efforts can result in the introduction of novel genes and genotypes into populations when plant materials used are not of local origin. The study of adaptation and speciation in plants will be reviewed, and how this can inform conservation efforts will be discussed.

Dr. McKay is currently an assistant professor of Plant Evolutionary Genetics at Colorado State University. His research uses genomic approaches to elucidate evolutionary and molecular mechanisms underlying plant adaptation and acclimation, including traits relevant to Colorado agriculture. His dissertation work focused on the conservation of adaptive genetic variation.