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

当减少或阻止种群间交配的特征进化时，新物种就形成了。这种物种形成过程对于理解生物多样性的起源至关重要，但人们对分化最早阶段生殖障碍的演变知之甚少。虽然早期的物种形成模型强调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。通过专注于一个多样化的复杂的经典描述，密切相关的植物，保持不同的，尽管明显的杂交，这项研究将利用温室，实验室和田间实验，以调查进化机制和基因组变化，推动物种形成的早期阶段。此外，本提案中概述的实验结果将对基于生态的趋异自然选择在物种形成过程中的作用产生新的见解。本研究的更广泛影响在于其指导和教育机会。将采用的广泛的技术，包括实地工作和新开发的人口基因组学方法，将为学生提供相当多的植物进化研究的经验。来自UO本科研究暑期项目的学生，该项目致力于招募和指导来自传统上代表性不足的背景的学生，将是这项研究的关键组成部分。此外，这项研究还将通过与加州本土植物协会的公开讲座进行分享，共同主要研究者是该协会的成员。

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.