I conduct research on the genetics of complex trait variation and adaptive evolution in morphology and resource allocation in plants.  The genes responsible for these processes have key roles in shaping plant responses to environmental variability and have been important in generating terrestrial biodiversity.  Major topics include the genetic basis for speciation and growth form evolution in the Hawaiian silversword alliance and the genetic mechanisms of resource allocation in the rock cress Arabidopsis lyrata.  We are seeking to develop the silversword alliance as an experimental system for genetic research, taking advantage of its unique phenotypic variability in order to gain insights on the evolution of adaptively important features and the dynamics of the speciation process.  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.  In conjunction with these topics, I have been exploring novel statistical approaches for characterizing and predicting functions of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that affect networks of traits such as life history trade-offs.  I am a co-PI on an NSF-funded Math-Bio program at UNCG, in which undergraduates carry out research on topics integrating mathematics and biology.

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.

Remington, D.L., T.J. Vision, T.J. Guilfoyle, and J.W. Reed. 2004. Contrasting modes of diversification in the Aux/IAA and ARF gene families.  Plant Physiol. 135:1738-1752.

Remington, D.L., and M.D. Purugganan. 2002. GAI homologues in the Hawaiian silversword alliance (Asteraceae-Madiinae): molecular evolution of growth regulators in a rapidly diversifying plant lineage. Mol. Biol. Evol. 19:1563-1574. 

Remington, D.L., J.M. Thornsberry, Y. Matsuoka, L.M. Wilson, S.R. Whitt, J. Doebley, S. Kresovich, M.M. Goodman, and E.S. Buckler IV. 2001. Structure of linkage disequilibrium and phenotypic associations in the maize genome. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:11479-11484. 

Plant Systematics (BIO 354)
Genetics (BIO 392)
Genetics Lab (BIO 393)
Genomics (BIO 592)
Genetics of Complex Traits (BIO 593)
Workshops in Biotechnology:  Computational Tools for DNA Sequence and Genomic Analysis (BIO 597J)