The Donovan lab investigates plant evolutionary ecophysiology, with an emphasis on stress and resource use traits as they relate to plant performance.  We examine ecological and evolutionary responses to growth limiting factors (e.g. water and nutrient limitations, salinity, and competition) in a number of plant systems.  These include plants from desert and coastal sand dunes, saline desert playas and coastal salt marshes, and Great Basin shrub steppe, as well as model plants such as Arabidopsis and commercial sunflowers.  In general, we would like to know how individual plant traits affect plant fitness and distribution, and how these traits evolve.  To address these questions, we use a combination of ecological, ecophysiological, evolutionary genetic, and genomic approaches.  Please see the RESEARCH page for descriptions of individual projects.