DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Molecular Phylogeny of the Ericaceae using RNA Polymerase II

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

9623643 HALL Reconstruction of the historical (OphylogeneticO) relationships among plant groups, through comparative analysis of nuclear and organellar ribosomal DNA sequences, is an integral part of systematic biology. Researchers increasingly recognize the need to obtain data from several different DNA sequences, representing independent genetic loci, because a phylogeny inferred from any single gene may not accurately recover the relationships among the organisms under investigation. However, the number of genes known to be both useful for these investigations and accessible to researchers (quickly and inexpensively obtainable from a wide range of organisms) is still very small. In an effort to expand the pool of nuclear genes available for molecular systematic analyses at lower taxonomic levels, Amy Denton, under the supervision of Benjamin Hall, will evaluate the phylogenetic utility of sequences within the RNA polymerase II (RPB) gene. The researchers will first determine if, as expected, RPB gene sequences are useful for phylogenetic assessments of flowering plant taxa at the family level and below; they will compare phylogenies constructed from these sequences to phylogenies of the plant family Ericaceae (which includes rhododendrons, azaleas and blueberries) derived from other data. If these results confirm predictions, Denton and Hall will then use RPB gene sequences to investigate the complex, and poorly understood, phylogenetic relationships among species of the large, horticulturally valuable genus Rhododendron.