Department of Biology
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Assistant Professor Phone: 512-245-3317 Fax: 512-245-8713 E-mail:nm14@txstate.edu Office: SUPP 160 Department of Biology |
Courses Taught |
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Research Interest |
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I am interested in speciation and natural hybridization. How are populations transformed into new species? What are the evolutionary consequences of natural hybridization? These are two of the most fundamental and interrelated questions in evolutionary biology, and with new ecological, molecular, and statistical genomic techniques, answering them is becoming a possibility. The evolution of new species is generally thought to be a consequence of genetic divergence between populations ultimately resulting in complete reproductive isolation. However, reproductive isolation is often incomplete and hybridization may occur between genetically divergent taxa. While the mere existence of hybrids often fuels debate as to the usefulness of long- standing species concepts, I believe that naturally hybridizing taxa provide unique opportunities to study speciation "as it happens" before the process has been completed. To understand hybridization and speciation in both a genetic and ecological context, I use large-scale field studies, greenhouse experiments, and genomic analyses in two naturally hybridizing flowering plant species-pairs; Mimulus guttatus / Mimulus nasutus and Iris fulva / Iris brevicaulis. Evolutionary biology requires the integration of such diverse types of data, and my research program illustrates the potential for using these data to ask a broad range of questions about the origin of species and the long-term consequences of natural hybridization. I am currently seeking enthusiastic Masters and PhD students to join my lab. |
Recent Publications |
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Education |
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| Ph.D. | 2004 | Biology | Duke University |
| M.S. | 2000 | Biology | University of Oregon |
| B.S. | 1996 | Biology | University of Texas at Austin |