Microsatellite Primer Development

Dubautia scabra is a native plant on the Hawaiian islands, and is the first flowering plant on new lava flows. I am investigating genetic and ecological patterns of colonization and succession of D. scabra on lava flows to understand mechanisms of plant colonization. I use leaf tissue as the DNA source to analyze evolutionary histories. This data helps us understand how plants colonize new habitats with direct implications for understanding responses to climate change.