DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Experimental Evolution of Mating System under Varying Pollinator Availability in Mimulus guttatus

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The evolution of plant mating systems has been a topic of great interest throughout the history of evolutionary biology. Despite the extensive description of mating system variation, a great deal remains unknown about the specific mechanisms involved in mating system transitions. The proposed studies will provide a comprehensive quantification of the most immediate evolutionary changes in the transition from outcrossing to self-fertilization using Mimulus guttatus, the yellow monkeyflower, as a model system. The first objective explores phenotypic and genetic changes over time in populations experiencing opposing pollinator regimes: abundant bumblebee (Bombus) pollinators vs. no pollinators. This transition has never before been observed directly in the laboratory using experimental evolution. The second objective will investigate the mechanistic relationship between Bombus and Mimulus; identifying specific selective pressures in bee-pollinated populations such as the contribution of pollinator preference to natural selection. These studies will examine the mechanistic evolution of self-fertilization under pollinator limitation, vitally important in today?s changing world as human activities alter plant-pollinator interactions through landscape modification and climate change. In addition, during the course of the project undergraduate students will receive specialized training and mentorship in project experimental design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results.