Aim 2 is to test for adaptive divergence and ecologically-mediated reproductive isolation between focal pairs using reciprocal transplants and experimental manipulations of biotic associates and abiotic factors.
These experiments will determine whether our focal sister pairs are divergently adapted, and will identify biotic and abiotic agents of selection and putatively adaptive plant traits. They will further determine the ecological factors and plant traits affecting hybrid fitness. They will test the adaptive nature of observed niche differences from Aim 1, and will quantify their contribution to RI.