DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Chromosomal rearrangements and speciation in Mimulus

了解新物种如何形成并相互隔离是进化生物学的核心目标。染色体结构的变化，改变了染色体内的基因顺序和内容，可以在分歧过程中发挥主要作用。染色体重排可以通过引起杂种不育来阻止杂交。它们还可以通过将影响适应性特征的基因打包在一起来防止基因跨物种转移。我们的项目使用猴花，Mimulus lewisii和M。cardinalis，研究染色体变化在适应性分化和物种形成中的独特作用。我们将使用基因序列数据和全面的基因组分析来1）精确识别区分物种的染色体变化，2）检查哪些基因组区域负责物种特异性性状的进化，和3）研究重排的区域或其他适应性位点是否负责更广泛的物种的适应性进化。我们的研究将揭示生态适应如何发生，并给出成为独一无二的物种。这项工作有可能颠覆我们目前对植物适应和物种形成的理解，传统上，这种理解集中在单个基因的作用上，而不是整个基因组。我们将与当地学校和科学博物馆合作，开发以猴花为主题的互动活动，向年轻学生介绍花卉多样性和进化。我们还将为本科生提供丰富的机会，获得分子技术，植物育种，数量遗传学和基因组学的实践培训。

Understanding how new species form and become isolated from one another is a central goal of evolutionary biology. Changes in chromosome structure, which alter the gene order and content within chromosomes, can play a primary role in the divergence process. Chromosomal rearrangements can prevent hybridization by causing hybrid sterility. They can also prevent gene transfer across species boundaries by packaging together genes that affect suites of adaptive traits. Our projects use monkeyflowers, Mimulus lewisii and M. cardinalis, to investigate the unique role of chromosome change in adaptive divergence and speciation. We will use genetic sequence data and comprehensive genomic analyses to 1) precisely identify the chromosomal changes that distinguish species, 2) examine which genomic regions are responsible for the evolution of species-specific traits, and 3) investigate whether rearranged regions or other adaptive loci are responsible for adaptive evolution across a broader range of species.Our research will shed light on how ecological adaptation occurs and gives rise to unique species. This work has the potential to overturn our current understanding of adaptation and speciation in plants, which has traditionally focused on the action of single genes, rather than the genome as a whole. We will work with local schools and a science museum to develop interactive activities featuring monkeyflowers to teach young students about floral diversity and evolution. We will also offer abundant opportunities for undergraduates to acquire hands-on training in molecular techniques, plant breeding, quantitative genetics, and genomics.