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Yaniv Brandvain
Associate Professor
College of Biological Sciences
University of Minnesota
The interaction between patterns of mating and the process of speciation
Abstract: Populations diverge and become ultimately new species as opportunities for genetic exchange diminish. How an organism mates can play a key role in mediating the extent of gene flow and the fate of introgressed alleles by influencing opportunities for hybridization, the development of hybrid offspring, and selection on introgressed alleles. Here I show how systems of mating including spatial, temporal and chemical barriers to self- (or interspecific) pollination impact the process of speciation and how the potential for forming hybrids can shape an organism's mating strategy in numerous ecological model system including maize, Mimulus, Clarkia, and Capsella. More broadly, I show how the ways in which a population mates influences the evolution of genetic conflict, genetic diversity, the genetic load, and the extent of gene flow.
Host: Professor Robin Hopkins