Presenter(s): Connor Lane − Biology
Faculty Mentor(s): Matt Streisfeld
Poster 86
Research Area: Science
It is common to find that the same traits have evolved independently across different species, a phenomenon referred to as parallel evolution. Diverse examples of parallelism exist across all domains of life, including the multiple appearances of wings in mammals, insects, and birds. Mimulus aurantiacus, the bush monkeyflower, is an excellent system for studying parallel evolution, because differences in the color, shape, and size of flowers are maintained due to natural selection by animal pollinators. However, flowers that are visually similar across two regions of southern California (San Diego and Orange Counties) are genetically distinct, suggesting that the same floral differences evolved independently in both regions. We hypothesize that these genetic differences exist due to an historical geographic barrier that prevented genetic exchange between the regions. We measured several traits such as the length, width, and color of flowers from plants in different populations native to the Camp Pendleton Marine Base, which lies in between San Diego and Orange Counties. My results show that flowers with intermediate characteristics are common in Camp Pendleton that are likely the product of hybridization between genetically distinct plants. Ongoing analyses that combine these data with genomic information test for the presence of a barrier to genetic exchange that previously isolated these populations. Understanding the mechanisms that drive parallel evolution of trait differences in San Diego and Orange Counties will yield insights into the role that natural selection plays in creating the amazing diversity of life on earth.