Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

Genomic And Ecological Dimensions Of Malagasy Reptile And Amphibian Biodiversity, Arianna L. Kuhn

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

A long history of isolation coupled with complex topographic and ecological landscapes makes Madagascar ideal for exploring the historical factors that have shaped patterns of population diversity and endemism. Many species-level studies have suggested Late Quaternary climate change may have influenced population dynamics in the tropics, but Madagascar’s ecologically unique biomes or individual species properties may have driven idiosyncratic responses to these shifts. Using community-scale population genetic data I implement a hierarchical approximate Bayesian computation (hABC) approach to evaluate the degree of synchronous population expansion during glacial cycles across herpetofaunal assemblages both within and across discrete biomes and taxonomic groups. …

Evolution And Development Of The Seed Coat In Gymnosperms, Cecilia Zumajo

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Gymnosperms and angiosperms are the most abundant plant lineages on earth and constitute a turning point in the evolution of plants because they are at the origin of the seed, a key morphological and developmental novelty in the evolution of land plant. Although the morphological variation of the seed, across seed plants, may on its own, explain the complexity of this structure, the origin, and evolution are even more, the understanding of these topics is still under discussion. Evidence shows that previous studies have often lacked the component of gene expression, particularly in species that are not model species. The …

Insights Into Leptopilina Spp. Immune-Suppressive Strategies Using Mixed-Omics And Molecular Approaches, Brian Wey

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Host-parasite interactions influence the biology of each over the course of evolution. Parasite success allows for the passage of potent virulence strategies from generation to generation. Host success passes stronger immunity and resistance strategies to the following generations as well. Only by studying both partners within their natural contexts can we begin to understand the relationship between the two and how immune mechanisms and virulence strategies interact as a molecular arms race.

In this work, we focus on a natural host-parasite pair, the Drosophila-Leptopilina model. Leptopilina species are parasites of several fruit fly species, including Drosophila melanogaster. This model …