A short-lived perennial in the mustard family, Arabidopsis lyrata is often used in studies of plant ecology and evolution due to its high level of morphological and genetic polymorphism. A. lyrata can also grow in disturbed or disadvantaged habitats, such as on nutrient poor serpentine soils high in heavy metals. We aim to provide insight into local adaptation and evolution through examining genetic differences and similarities between A. lyrata populations growing in the same geographic area but in differing habitats, on granitic and serpentine soils in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Using amplification through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of selected microsatellite loci (highly variable regions of the genome), determination of microsatellite allele composition, and statistical analysis, we will determine whether serpentine soil populations are genetically closer to each other, despite geographic distance, or if they are the result of local adaptations of granitic soil populations.
