Dissertation title:

Evolution of Female Gametophyte in Piperales

Ph.D. expected: December, 2008

Major advisor: William Friedman

Research interests:

Eric studies the evolution of female gametophyte development in an ancient lineage of angiosperms called the Piperales. He combines light microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and three-dimensional computer reconstruction to document nuclear positioning and vacuole morphology within alternate female gametophyte ontogenies of Piperaceae. These data are important because modifications in female gametophyte development directly affect the genetic construct of their downstream product - endosperm. Within Piperaceae, there are five different ways in which endosperm may be built, and each of these constructs are associated with an alternate pattern of female gametophyte development. His comparative developmental data, documents the developmental modifications that have led to the evolution of female gametophyte development (and endosperm genetic constructs) in Piperaceae.

These data have a broad significance. A review of the embryological literature demonstrates that the overall sequence of developmental modifications and predictable intermediate stages that he describes in Piperaceae are be found across all angiosperms, indicating that the evolutionary-developmental changes we describe for Piperaceae, may apply to angiosperms as a whole.

Eric will be a Texas Institute of Oceanography postdoctoral research associate for the Marine Biology Department at Texas A&M University at Galveston. It is for 2 years and comes with salary, research funds, travel funds, and miscellaneous expenses. He will work with Dr. Anna Armitage on the physiology and biogeography of mangrove tree species in the Gulf of Mexico.