Molecular Evolution of Floral Homeotic Genes in the Hawaiian Silversword Alliance (Asteraceae)

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

9981072 Purugganan Regulatory genes play central roles in the evolution of developmental patterns and adaptation. The molecular evolution of regulatory genes must have its origins in molecular variation that occurs within distinct species. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics of these developmental control genes requires investigating their evolution at the level of populations, where this variation has its origins and where genetic forces play themselves out to determine the fates of alternate alleles. This project will study the molecular population genetics of four floral regulatory loci (ASAPETALA1-A and -B, and ASAPETALA3/TM6-A and -B) within the Hawaiian silversword alliance, a premier example of a plant adaptive radiation. Our study will explore the dynamics of regulatory gene evolution in Dubautia arborea and D. ciliolata, two recently-diverged species within the rapidly-evolving group. We propose to test hypotheses on the historical forces that shape the diversification of genes which control plant morphology, and on the selective forces that drive regulatory gene evolution at the interface of speciation. The results of this work will allow us to better understand the forces that drive gene and genome evolution, which in turn will help inform efforts in fields as disparate as crop breeding, plant conservation and genomic analysis.