 Research:
I conduct research on the genetics of life history evolution in plants. The genes responsible for evolution of complex patterns of growth form and resource allocation have key roles in shaping plant responses to environmental variability and have been important in generating terrestrial biodiversity. Major topics include the genetic mechanisms of resource allocation, using the rock cress Arabidopsis lyrata as an experimental organism. We have discovered that A lyrata is highly variable in resource allocation properties, and its extensive genomic resources make it uniquely valuable for studying these traits. Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is providing insights on genetic co-regulation of resource allocation traits and their relationship to fitness in different environments. I have been exploring trait network models that can provide cause-effect explanations for genetic correlations between traits, such as life history trade-offs, and for coordinated effects of QTLs on these traits. I am a co-PI on an NSF-funded Math-Bio Undergraduate Fellowship program at UNCG, in which undergraduates carry out research on topics integrating mathematics and biology. |
Recent Publications:
Leinonen, P.H., D.L. Remington, and O. Savolainen. 2011. Local adaptation, phenotypic differentiation and hybrid fitness in diverged natural populations of Arabidopsis lyrata. Evolution 65:90-107.
Remington, D.L. 2009. Effects of genetic and environmental factors on trait network predictions from quantitative trait locus data. Genetics 181:1087-1099.
von Wettberg, E.J., D.L. Remington, and J. Schmitt. 2008. Partitioning adaptive differentiation across a patchy landscape: shade avoidance traits in Impatiens capensis. Evolution 62: 654-667.
Remington, D.L., and R.H. Robichaux. 2007. Influences of gene flow on adaptive speciation in the Dubautia arborea – D. ciliolata complex. Mol. Ecol. 16: 4014-4027.
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