Dissertation Research: Selection on Floral Parameters in Mirabilis multiflora

植物种群的进化可以受到自然选择、基因流（从其他种群进入种群的基因）和遗传漂变（由于种群规模小而发生的偶然事件）的影响。为了理解进化是如何进行的，我们必须知道这些不同的力量是如何共同作用的。所有这些都受到个体将基因传递给下一代的影响。然而，由于花粉从一株植物到另一株植物的移动几乎不可能被跟踪，因此确定哪些个体提供基因是困难的。电泳技术使确定某一特定个体是否为某一特定种子的父亲成为可能。通过将这种技术应用于一个种群中所有个体产生的种子，可以确定哪些个体为后代提供基因。了解种子的来源将有助于解释不同的力量如何影响种群的进化。此外，关于基因如何在种群中移动的信息可以应用于农业系统。在培育特定性状或试图减少基因进出特定区域的数量时，这些信息可能非常有益。

The evolution of plant populations can be affected by natural selection, gene flow (genes entering the population from other populations), and genetic drift (chance events due to small population size). In order to understand how evolution proceeds, one must know how these different forces operate together. All of these are affected by which individuals are transmitting genes to the next generation. However, because movement of pollen from plant to plant is nearly impossible to follow, determination of which individuals are supplying genes is difficult. The technique of electrophoresis makes it possible to determine if a given individual could be the father of a particular seed. By applying this technique to seeds produced by all individuals in a population, a determination of which individuals are supplying genes to progeny can be made. Knowing the parentage of seeds will help explain how different forces affect the evolution of a population. In addition, information on how genes move through a population can be applied to agricultural systems. This informaton could be very beneficial when breeding for specific traits or when trying to reduce the amount of gene movement into or out of a particular area.