Welcome to the Hawaiian Silversword Alliance (HSA) adaptive evolution study home page! This project is a collaborative effort among scientists at multiple public, private and government institutions.

The Hawaiian silversword alliance provides an excellent, tractable system for understanding and connecting macro- and microevolutionary processes because it has undergone spectacular adaptive diversification despite minimal genetic differentiation. The HSA presents the opportunity to empirically test models of adaptation by integrating ecophysiological, molecular quantitative and population genetic, phylogenomic, and proteomic approaches. The empirical data gathered from this project, the genomic and proteomic resources developed, and the integrated cross-disciplinary analyses conducted will provide unprecedented abilities to examine the correlations between ecological diversification, genomic differentiation, and phenotypic divergence along ecophysiological, morphological, and geological gradients. The collaborative integration of ecological, genomic, and functional data will yield significant insight into the processes and mechanisms of speciation and ecological diversification in the context of this spectacular textbook example of adaptive evolution.  For an excellent overview of the Hawaiian silversword alliance, see this website by Gerry Carr: http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/silversword.htm

The information gathered in this research on mechanisms of adaptation to extreme environments may prove useful to applied research as well as our basic understanding of the process of adaptive diversification. Understanding how organisms tolerate and thrive under environmental stress has relevance to modern agriculture and response to global climate change. Educational opportunities provided by this project will include several activities that integrate key scientific insights from the genomic and functional analyses, including:  active research and learning experiences for undergraduates, graduates, and visiting scientists in laboratory, greenhouse, and field environments; workshops and short courses for in-service middle school, high school, and community college teachers and students; presentations, research conference participation and organization, interactive website portals; permanent educational displays; and hands-on participation in conservation initiatives of the Hawaiian Silversword Foundation for the recovery of critically endangered species in the HSA.