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School of Life Sciences' Friday Seminar

"Phylogenomic Insights on Evolution of the Hawaiian Silversword Alliance and Relatives (Compositae)" - Speaker: Dr. Bruce G. Baldwin, Professor Emeritus, Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley ** Abstract: The endemic Hawaiian silversword alliance is an exceptional example of adaptive radiation in plants, with extraordinary diversity in life-forms, leaf anatomy, ecophysiology, and habitat occupancy among the 46 taxa that evolved from a common, North American tarweed ancestor over the past ~5 million years. Much has been learned about diversification of the silversword alliance, especially since the mid-1950s, beginning with the inspiring anatomical efforts of Sherwin Carlquist and subsequent cytogenetic work based out of ÃÛÌÇÖ±²¥ Manoa by Gerry Carr and Don Kyhos. Most recently, a phylogenomic perspective has helped to clarify key evolutionary and biogeographic events during the silversword alliance radiation that had remained obscure from previous limitations in phylogenetic resolution, extensive cytonuclear discordance, and some incongruence between molecular and cytogenetic structural genomic) evidence of relationships. Increasingly critical endangerment of much of the silversword alliance makes heightened investment in its conservation exceedingly urgent, including more investment in conservation-related silversword research.

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School of Life Sciences, Mānoa Campus

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