Dr. Carrie Kiel
The Environmental & Plant Biology Colloquium Series presents Dr. Carrie Kiel on Feb. 8 from 11:50 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. in Porter Hall 104.
Kiel is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
Title: The New World ‘justicioid’ lineage (Acanthaceae, Lamiales): A microcosm for understanding covariation of floral traits and pollination systems in a phylogenetic context.
Abstract: Variation in flower shape, size and color, along with remarkable diversity of anther, pollen, and stigma morphology, is rampant in the New World ‘justicioid’ lineage (400 spp.). Among these plants, micro-structures of pollen, anthers and stigma co-vary in patterns that are correlated with corolla morphology. These statistically distinct corolla shapes are consistent with pollination by particular subsets of animals. Based on our present phylogenetic knowledge of the group, these suites of co-varying traits have evolved multiple times across the lineage (e.g., floral traits consistent with hummingbird pollination have evolved at least 16 times) making this group a tractable evolutionary microcosm for studying floral evolution. I will discuss the evolution of these floral structures in this diverse lineage, taking an integrative and comparative phylogenetic approach that includes quantitative analysis of variation in floral structures (e.g., floral form, anther, pollen, and stigma traits) and phylogenetic data. I will also discuss rates of diversification in conjunction with floral form across the ‘justicioid’ lineage (both New World and Old World) and show evidence for increased speciation rates in New World lineages.
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