Systematics and population genomics of western Syntrichia

Western North America is home to diverse and ecologically important mosses in the genus Syntrichia, including species that dominate biological soil crusts, tolerate extreme drying, and occupy a wide range of dryland and montane habitats. This project investigates relationships among western Syntrichia lineages, with an emphasis on species complexes where morphology, geography, ecology, and evolutionary history may not tell the same story. We use field collections, herbarium material, genomic data, and comparative analyses to clarify patterns of relatedness, population structure, and trait variation. A major goal is to understand how evolutionary history and environmental variation interact to shape traits involved in stress tolerance, reproduction, and habitat use. This work also incorporates controlled growth studies to distinguish flexible environmental responses from more fixed differences among lineages or populations. This project connects moss systematics with questions about adaptation, biogeography, and the evolution of survival strategies in dry and variable environments.