It is generally believed that new morphological traits arise by rewiring developmental circuits.  Because there genetic changes responsible for the evolution of novel traits are known for only a few characters, we understand little about the nature of this rewiring.  In addition, gene duplication is often associated with the evolution of new traits, but little is know about how duplication contributes to rewiring.

     We are addressing these issues by examining the evolution of petal spots in the genus Clarkia.  Some species have no spots, others have a large basal spot, while still others have a large central spot.  We are using a combination of genetics, genomics and molecular approaches to understand how these spots have evolved and in particular to understand the roles of gene duplication and genetic circuit rewiring to their evolutionary origin.  For more information see

Martins, T. R., Berg, J. J., Blinka, S., Rausher, M. D., and Baum, D. A.    (In press).  Precise spatio-temporal regulation of the anthocyanin    biosynthetic pathway leads to petal spot formation in Clarkia gracilis    (Onagraceae).  New Phytologist. (Online Early)  [Download PDF File]

Martins, T. R., P. Jiang, and M. D. Rausher.  How petals change their    spots: cis-regulatory re-wiring in Clarkia (Onagraceae).  New    Phytologist (in press).