Dissertation Research: Genetic Architecture of Correlated Evolution in Gametophytes and Sporophytes of Ceratodon Purpureus

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A central goal of biology is to understand how organisms adapt to their environment. This project seeks to clarify the constraints imposed on adaptation in plants by the alternation of morphologically distinct haploid and diploid generations in their life cycles. If traits in the two generations are controlled by the same suite of genes, as populations adapt, these traits should change in a correlated fashion. This project will utilize a bryophyte model system (Ceratodon purpureus) in which both generations are sufficiently large and morphologically complex to facilitate genotypic and phenotypic analysis. Multiple populations from throughout the distribution of the species will be grown in a common environment to assess the degree of correlation between the two generations. Genome mapping techniques will then be used to test whether the same genes are associated with changes in the two generations.This study will answer fundamental questions concerning the genetic basis of adaptation, in addition to providing a deeper understanding of life cycles that are common to all plants. It will be the most comprehensive examination of the whole plant life cycle using modern genetic tools. The Ceratodon experimental system is being utilized by many scientists working on applied as well as basic problems in biology, and the genetic insights generated by this study will further increase its utility for other research.