** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** IN THE PAST 200 YEARS, URBANIZATION HAS BEEN RAPIDLY INCREASING AND ENCROACHING ON HISTORICALLY NATURAL AND AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS GLOBALLY. IN RESPONSE, ORGANISMS HAVE ADAPTED TO THESE NEW ENVIRONMENTS THROUGH CHANGES IN THEIR BEHAVIOR AND TRAITS. HOWEVER, THE SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS THAT LEAD TO THESE CHANGES IS UNCLEAR. TRADITIONAL SPATIAL LAND CLASSIFICATIONS OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTS, SUCH AS MEASUREMENTS OF IMPERVIOUS SURFACES AND ROADWAYS, HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CAPTURE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CUE THAT LEAD TO ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE IN ORGANISMS. THIS IS A PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR WEEDY AND INVASIVE PLANTS,BECAUSE URBANIZED ENVIRONMENTS ARE LIKELY TO HARBOR INTRODUCED SPECIES WHILE THEY ADAPT TO NOVEL ENVIRONMENTS AND SPREAD BEYOND URBAN AND SUBURBAN AREAS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP A LANDSCAPE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM THAT DESCRIBES URBANIZED ENVIRONMENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND APPLY THIS FRAMEWORK TO UNDERSTANDING THE BIOLOGY OF THE INVASIVE WEED CENTAUREA MELITENSIS.THIS PROJECT WILL MEASURE PHYSICAL AND GENETIC DIFFERENCES OF C. MELITENSIS PLANTS ACROSS URBAN AND NON-URBAN SPACES TO DETERMINE HOW DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS AFFECT THE ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION OF THIS SPECIES. ULTIMATELY, THE RESULTS OF THIS RESEARCH WILL AID LAND MANAGERS IN THE REDUCTION OF A CLASS B INVASIVE SPECIES ACROSS CALIFORNIA AND INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW URBANIZATION AFFECTS THE BIOLOGICAL WORLD.