Title:Ecology and Evolution of the Ferns of Moorea and Tahiti, French Polynesia
Abstract: Ferns are the only major clade of land plants with haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) stages that can grow separately from each other for extended periods. The ecology of fern gametophytes, which represent the sexual part of the life cycle, is very poorly known due to their small size and cryptic morphology. In contrast, the conspicuous...
Title: Estimating TMRCA, Modeling the Fixed Pedigree, and the Effect of the Y Chromosome on the Chromatin Landscape
Abstract:This thesis consists of three different chapters on very different topics.
Chapter 1: We demonstrate the advantages of using information at many unlinked loci in order to better calibrate estimates of the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) at a...
Title: Mode and fidelity of bacterial symbiont transmission and its impact on symbiont genome evolution
Abstract: Mutualistic symbioses have enabled the colonization of novel habitats and niches in a large array of eukaryotic and bacterial taxa. Reliable mechanisms of symbiont transmission between host generations are necessary to stabilize these associations over evolutionary time. Historically, symbionts have been categorized as either vertically transmitted from the parents to offspring or horizontally...
Title:Convergent interactions among pitcher plant microcosms in North America and Southeast Asia
Abstract: Ecosystems are composed of diverse suites of organisms whose interactions are mediated by both the biotic and abiotic constraints of their environments. The complexity of ecosystems makes them both resilient and difficult to understand. Analyzing the patterns and constraints of biodiversity...
Title: The genetics of life history traits in the fungus Neurospora crassa
Abstract: The study of life histories is fundamental to understanding why some organisms live for a very short time while others live for a long time, why some produce thousands of offspring while others produce one, or why some need a mate to reproduce while others can do it on their own. The life histories of many animals and plants are well known because we can easily walk into a forest or field and measure them. Fungi, on the other hand, are hard...