Research Interests
Our
research group is investigating a variety of questions in the general
area of Evolutionary Genetics using maize (Zea mays ssp. mays)
and its wild relatives (the teosintes) as our model system. We
are specifically interested in:
The genetic basis
of the evolution of form. How many genes are required for the evolution
of a new morphological trait? Is it typically few genes of large
effect or many genes of individually small effect? What are these
gene? Are they most often transcriptional regulators, kinase, ligands,
or basic structural proteins? What types of changes in these genes
underlie morphological evolution? Is it more often cis-regulatory
changes or changes in protein function?
The domestication
of maize. From what wild species was maize domesticated? Where
was maize domesticated? What is genetic architecture of the differences
in morphology between maize and teosinte?
The systematics
and population genetics of maize and teosinte. What are the evolutionary
or phylogenetic relationships among maize and its wild relatives?
What evolutionary forces have shaped the structure of and diversity
in the maize genome? How is the maize germplasm pool structured?
Hosted by University of Colorado, Department of
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |