Browsing by Author "Mitchell, Nora"
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Item Evolution and hybridization: Tales from charismatic megaflora (2020-10-16)(2020) Mitchell, Nora; University of Minnesota Duluth. Department of BiologyCharismatic megafauna may dominate the posters of conservation agencies, but charismatic megaFLORA are excellent and attention-grabbing taxa for esearching [sic] the ecology and volution [sic] of plants. Understanding the evolution and function of diversity in a group as large and varied as flowering plants requires evidence at many taxonomic, geographic, and temporal scales. I combine approaches from the microevolutionary to macroevolutionary scales to understand the history of two iconic plants: Protea of South Africa and Helianthus (sunflowers) of Texas. Using a combination of population genomics and phylogenomics, I find evidence for cryptic hybridization and species-level relationship in Protea that allow for a deeper understanding of trait evolution. I use experimental evolution to show that hybridization speeds adaptive evolution in Texas sunflowers, and phylogenetic comparative studies to place the role of hybridization in adaptive evolution in a larger context. Both of these systems allow for investigation into the mechanisms generating the astonishing diversity of plants.