It is unclear how environmental change influences standing genetic variation in wild populations. Here, we characterized environmental conditions that protect vs. erode polymorphic chemical defenses in Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae), a short-lived perennial wildflower. By manipulating drought and h

Balancing selection is frequently invoked as a mechanism to maintain variation within and across populations. However, rigorous tests demonstrating balancing selection operating in nature are scarce, particularly on complex traits, which frequently display high levels of variation. Leveraging a foca

Polyphenisms, alternative morphs produced through plasticity, can reveal the evolutionary and ecological processes that initiate and maintain diversity within populations. We examined lifetime fitness consequences of two morphs in a polyphenic population of Arizona Tiger Salamanders using a 27-year