DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Determining the effect of hybridization on the evolvability of phenotypic traits using genomic markers

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Hybridization has the power to create and destroy genetic diversity, and consequently can facilitate or hinder a species' ability to withstand changing environmental conditions. Because of this duality, the evolutionary role of hybridization in nature is poorly understood. This research will utilize recent developments in high-throughput sequencing to examine the evolutionary consequences of hybridization in a widespread radiation of garter snakes. This model system demonstrates the signature of hybridization in the past, as well as ongoing, replicated hybridization in the present. Theoretical predictions regarding the consequences of hybridization on evolution will be tested by connecting genomic data with variation in adaptive traits. Such variation is the raw material for evolution and consequently, the most useful measure of a population's ability to adapt to changing conditions. Understanding the effect of hybridization on evolutionary potential is of critical importance to management of invasive species (which are frequently of hybrid origin) and the conservation of threatened species (which are often threatened by hybridization). This study will help connect a predictive theoretical framework with a natural study system, an essential step towards making theory operational for applied management decisions. Furthermore, this research will be used to address the failure of standard teaching methods to connect Mendelian genetics with the evolution of complex traits. By introducing students to this important but often neglected step, this project will help address widespread misunderstandings about the evolutionary process.