Our research group is investigating a variety of questions in the general area of Evolutionary Genetics using maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and its wild relatives (the teosintes) as our model system. We are specifically interested in:
The genetic basis of the evolution of form. How many genes are required for the evolution of a new morphological trait? Is it typically few genes of large effect or many genes of individually small effect? What are these gene? Are they most often transcriptional regulators, kinase, ligands, or basic structural proteins? What types of changes in these genes underlie morphological evolution? Is it more often cis-regulatory changes or changes in protein function?
The domestication of maize. From what wild species was maize domesticated? Where was maize domesticated? What is genetic architecture of the differences in morphology between maize and teosinte?
The systematics and population genetics of maize and teosinte. What are the evolutionary or phylogenetic relationships among maize and its wild relatives? What evolutionary forces have shaped the structure of and diversity in the maize genome? How is the maize germplasm pool structured?