Ana Caicedo

Research Area: Evolution and Ecology, Genomics and Genetics

Field of Study: Evolutionary genomics of adaptation and divergence in wild, weedy and crop plant species

Plant Molecular Evolution and Evolutionary Genomics

Adaptive evolution, the product of natural selection, underlies much of all biological diversity. My research seeks to understand the genetic basis of adaptation, as well as the population and genomic context in which adaptive evolution occurs. To this effect, research interests in the lab span a range of disciplines, including population genetics, molecular evolution, evolutionary ecology, phylogeography, and evolutionary genomics. We focus on the study of loci contributing to traits of evolutionary or ecological importance and the processes governing diversification within and between closely related plant species. Plant occurring in agricultural environments, in particular, can provide insight into rapid evolution and adaptive responses under strong selection. Our research makes use of wild relatives of crop species (e.g. Solanum spp., Oryza spp.), domesticated plant species (e.g. cultivated rice, tomato), and weedy plants (e.g. dodder, weedy rice). Among the questions we address are: Which are the genes underlying adaptive traits? How is variation at these genes distributed at the population level? What evolutionary forces act on these genes and what are their molecular signatures? What role does the genomic context play in the evolution of ecologically important genes? Visit our lab webpage to learn more about our research.