My research uses non-model and model systems to address an important, yet not well-understood, phenomena in plants and many animals: whole-genome duplication, or polyploidy. Polyploidy has one of the most profound effects on species’ geographic distributions of any singular genetic change and is a major mechanism of species diversification, including examples of sympatric speciation. My most recent research focuses on the ecological and genetic consequences of polyploidy in flowering plants: a topic central to plant evolution that impacts biodiversity, biogeography and invasion biology. I've used several approaches to examine the implications of polyploidy on ecology, evolution, conservation and the genome, including field collections, common gardens, phylogenetic reconstruction and genetic manipulation.
