Dissertation Research: The roles of ecological and genomic divergence during incipient speciation in Mimulus

当特征进化，减少或阻止种群之间的交配时，新物种就会形成。这一物种形成过程对于理解生物多样性的起源至关重要，但人们对物种分化初期生殖障碍的演化知之甚少。虽然早期的物种形成模型强调了地理隔离对启动分化的重要性，但最近的理论表明，基于生态的自然选择能够在没有地理障碍的情况下推动隔离。通过关注经典描述的、密切相关的植物的多样化复合体，尽管有明显的杂交，这项研究将利用温室、实验室和田间实验来研究驱动物种形成早期阶段的进化机制和基因组变化。此外，这项提案中概述的实验结果将对基于生态的不同自然选择在物种形成过程中的作用产生新的见解。这项研究的更广泛影响在于其指导和教育机会。将采用的广泛技术，包括实地工作和新开发的种群基因组方法，将为学生提供相当多的植物进化研究经验。UO本科生研究暑期项目的学生将是这项研究的关键组成部分，该项目致力于招收和指导来自传统上代表性较低的背景的学生。此外，这项研究还将通过公开讲座与加州原生植物协会分享，该协会是该协会的成员之一。

New species form when characters evolve that reduce or prevent mating between populations. This process of speciation is critical to understanding the origins of biodiversity, yet little is known about the evolution of reproductive barriers at the earliest stages of divergence. While early models of speciation stressed the importance of geographic isolation to initiate divergence, recent theory suggests that ecologically-based natural selection is capable of driving isolation in the absence of geographic barriers. By focusing on a diverse complex of classically described, closely-related plants that remain distinct despite apparent hybridization, this research will utilize greenhouse, laboratory, and field experiments to investigate the evolutionary mechanisms and genomic changes that drive the early stages of speciation. Moreover, results from the experiments outlined in this proposal will generate novel insight into the role of ecologically-based divergent natural selection during speciation.The broader impacts of this research lie in its mentorship and educational opportunities. The broad array of techniques that will be employed, including field work and newly developed population genomic methods, will provide students with considerable experience in plant evolutionary research. Students from the UO Summer Program for Undergraduate Research, a program committed to recruiting and mentoring students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds, will be a critical component for this research. In addition, this research will also be shared through public lectures with the California Native Plant Society, of which the co-PI is a member.