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Robin Hopkins, Harvard University
September 16 @ 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Speciation and the Evolution of Mate Choice in Plants
Robin Hopkins, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University
Abstract
Speciation results from the buildup of reproductive barriers that decrease gene flow between diverging lineages. Understanding the evolutionary forces underlying this accumulation of reproductive isolation (RI) is fundamental to explaining the formation of biodiversity. My research program incorporates findings from ecological research in the field, quantitative genetics research in the greenhouse, molecular genetics research in the laboratory, population genetic modeling, and computational genomics to understand how the forces of selection, mutation, and gene flow interact during the evolution of RI. I will present two case studies of our work investigating the role of mate choice in plants during speciation. This work characterizes the genetic and ecological mechanisms underlying the evolution of plant-pollinator mate choice and pollen-pistil mate choice. My research centers on the Phlox wildflower system, for which I have created cutting edge tools for genetic and genomic studies as well as acquired abundant knowledge of natural history and ecology for field-based organismal studies.
Join us on Monday, September 16 at 1:30 PM in Stephens Room (3503 Thomas Hall) and ZOOM for the Genetics and Genomics Seminar Series. REGISTER to attend Zoom: https://ncsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUufu2rrDwuGtMzQ2ivMoBl4_LJ-eSGAZ4q
No registration is required to attend In-Person
If you are interested with meeting with Robin Hopkins, please contact host Rafael Guerrero (rfguerre@ncsu.edu).
