XVI International Botanical Congess
The evolutionary mechanisms underlying the functional diversification of genes controlling flower development will be addressed at the population level. We are particularly interested in species comprising the recently-diverged members of the Hawaiian silversword alliance, a premier example of plant adaptive radiation. Specifically, the molecular population genetics of the floral homeotic gene AsAPETALA1 (in duplicate copies: AsAP1-A and AsAP1-B) will be traced among several populations of the recently-diverged species Dubautia arborea and Dubautia ciliolata and natural hybrids found between these two species. By using populations at the interface of speciation, one can probe for clues regarding the role key regulatory genes may play in the process of morphological evolution.