DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Pollinator-mediated Evolution and Diversification of Andean Solanaceae

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A grant has been awarded to Dr. David Baum and Ms. Stacey Smith at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to investigate the role of habitat transitions and pollination systems in the diversification of flower form and color in Iochrominae, a group of 27 Andean species in the potato family, Solanaceae. Specifically, the research will examine the hypothesis that transitions to high-elevation environments are correlated with shifts to hummingbird pollination and the evolution of colorful, tubular flowers. Iochrominae occur at wide range of elevations, and they display a great diversity of floral morphologies and pollination systems, making them an ideal group in which to investigate this hypothesis. The study will be divided into three parts: reconstruction of the evolutionary history of Iochrominae, field studies of pollination, and biochemical analysis of floral pigmentation. Together, these components will make it possible to assess the extent to which elevational transitions are correlated with shifts in pollination systems and floral evolution. Considering that topographical variation combined with plant-animal coevolution are thought to be responsible for the immense floristic diversity of the Neotropics, Iochrominae may serve as a case study of the process of adaptive radiation and diversification that has taken place in multitudes of neotropical lineages of flowering plants. Furthermore, this project will foster collaboration between North American and Latin American botanical institutions in trying to document and understand the floristic diversity of the Andes and the processes that have given rise to it.