Research

My lab is focused on describing macroevolutionary patterns and microevolutionary processes underlying angiosperm diversification. We use modern phylogenetic comparative methods, experimental evolutionary ecology, and quantitative genetics to test evolutionary hypotheses. Some of the guiding questions this research seeks to answer are:

Is evolution predictable? Does it proceed in repeated directions across the tree of life? What are the drivers and constraints that generate these repeated patterns?
What is the molecular basis for convergent evolution?
How do pleiotropy and epistasis constrain the genes involved in adaptation and speciation?

More Info on Specific Research Projects:

The Columbine Adaptive Radiation

Flower Color (Anthocyanin) Evolution

Mimulus Phylogenetics & Floral Evolution

Aquatic Plant Diversification

Macroevolution of Serpentine Endemism

Some Photos from the Field (Spring 2007)

Searching for Streptanthus with Sharon Strauss

Collinsia collecting with Eric von Wettberg & Jess Wright

One of my new favorites: California Wallflowers (The Erysimum capitatum radiation)