Dr. Grusz awarded NSF EAGER grant!

Dr. Amanda Grusz is delighted to have been awarded an EAGER grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF-DEB 2232106) that will support her study, “Evaluating a drought-driven hypothesis for the origin of obligate apomixis.” The EAGER award brings nearly $300K USD to examine the role of abiotic environment in the evolution of obligate apomixis, a heritable reproductive syndrome that has evolved repeatedly across the tree of life. The project will unite genomic, cytogenetic, developmental, and abiotic traits for ~ 45 fern species comprising the desert-adapted genus Myriopteris Fée. Along with testing the drought hypothesis, this study will also empower undergraduate researchers to master technical skills related to studies of evolution, ecology, and development while they are exploring a fundamental feature of life on Earth—the evolution of sex and reproduction.

During the two-year award period, the drought project will support field expeditions in southwestern North America, including the Chihuahuan, Sonoran, and Mohave Deserts of the United States and Mexico. Data from historical specimens and field-collected vouchers will then be evaluated for key reproductive and developmental features to be integrated with ecological and molecular genetic data in evaluating the timing, frequency, and geographic distribution of obligate apomixis in natural populations.