RUI: Phylogenetic Relationships and Character Evolution in Lycieae (Solanaceae)

Amherst College, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

0343735 Miller The focus of this research by Dr. Jill Miller and Dr. Rachel Levin of Amherst College is to examine evolutionary relationships among three closely-related genera in the tomato family (Solanaceae), with an emphasis on the largest genus Lycium (wolfberry). Relationships will be examined using DNA sequence data, accumulated from plant specimens collected in Africa and North and South America. Knowledge of relationships will be applied to the study of biogeography and fruit evolution. Wolfberry species have considerable variation in reproductive characteristics; for example, fruits range from fleshy, multi-seeded berries that are bird-dispersed, to few-seeded, hardened fruits that are likely dispersed by small mammals. The merits of this project also extend outside the traditional realm of systematics; the proposed work will permit examination of breeding system evolution in Lycium. More broadly, this project will advance understanding of evolutionary relationships among flowering plants, as well as contribute to on-going, global efforts toward deciphering relationships in the economically important plant family Solanaceae. Broader impacts of the proposed work include the training of undergraduates; 6-10 undergraduates over the course of this project will receive intensive training in molecular methods, techniques for examining evolutionary relationships (including methods to study morphological character evolution), and a strong background in plant systematics and breeding system evolution. This project will also facilitate both existing and new international collaborations with colleagues, thus enhancing our understanding of relationships among worldwide wolfberry species. This project will make a significant contribution to existing collections of Solanaceae, including many new herbarium specimens, genomic DNAs, and DNA sequences. These will be made available to the public, thus complementing and extending the work of other Solanaceae researchers. This project will also result in a new systematic treatment of the group, including on-line taxonomic keys that can be used by botanists worldwide.