DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Genetics and Evolutionary Ecology of a Flower Color Diversification in Chilean Mimulus

花色素沉着具有进化上的不稳定性、重要的生态学意义和良好的分子特征，在表型进化研究中具有很大的潜力。本研究利用植物模式系统Mimulus guttatus的遗传资源，解决了相关非模式物种中新的花色素模式的遗传基础和适应性效应问题。在智利的几个品种的花色素沉着的新模式的基因座将被确定。在使用纯物种进行传粉研究之后，将在自然界中评估单个大效应模式基因的适应度结果。该项目代表了首次使用遗传和分子工具来推进几乎未经研究的非模式物种的进展。它通过综合经典的生态方法和复杂的遗传工具来解决关于自然变异的本质和维持的基本问题。它涉及与智利科学家的国际合作，并将继续提供指导高中生和本科生进行生物学研究的机会。

Floral pigmentation has great potential for studies of phenotypic evolution because it is evolutionarily labile, ecologically important, and molecularly well characterized. This proposal takes advantage of genetic resources from the plant model system Mimulus guttatus to address questions about the genetic basis and fitness effects of novel floral pigment patterns in related, non-model species. Loci underlying novel patterns of floral pigmentation in several species of Chilean Mimulus will be identified. Following a pollination study using pure species, the fitness consequences of a single large-effect patterning gene will be evaluated in nature.This project represents the first use of genetic and molecular tools from M. guttatus to advance progress in virtually unstudied non-model species. It addresses fundamental questions about the nature and maintenance of natural variation by synthesizing classical ecological approaches with sophisticated genetic tools. It involves international collaboration with Chilean scientists, and will continue to provide opportunities for mentoring high school and undergraduate students in biology research.