Parallel evolution of red, hummingbird-pollinated from blue, bee-pollinated flowers in Penstemon.

     Parallelism is the evolution of similar phenotypes from a similar starting phenotype.  Two largely unanswered questions about parallelism are (1) is parallel evolution underlain by similar genetic changes and (2) why or why not.  Addressing these questions requires identifying the genetic changes causing similar phenotypic evolution in many independent lineages.

     We are addressing these questions by characterizing the genetic changes associated with two common evolutionary transitions in flower color: changes from blue, bee-pollinated flowers to red, hummingbird pollinated flowers; and changes from pigmented flowers to white, moth or bat-pollinated flowers. For more information, see the following publications:

Wessinger, C. A. And M. D. Rausher.  2015.  Ecological transition     predictably associated with gene degeneration.  Molecular Biology     and Evolution 32: 347-354 [Download PDF File]

Wessinger, C. A., and M. D. Rausher.  2014. Predictability and     Irreversibility of genetic changes associated with flower color     evolution in Penstemon barbatus.  Evolution 68: 1058-1070.

    [Download PDF File]

Smith, S. D., and M. D. Rausher.  2011.  Gene loss and parallel evolution contribute to species difference in flower color.  Mol. Biol. Evol. 28: 2799–2810 .   [Download PDF file] 

Des Marais, D. L., and M. D. Rausher.  2010.  Parallel evolution at multiple levels in the origin of hummingbird pollinated flowers in Ipomoea.  Evolution 64: 2044-2054.     [Download PDF file] 

Streisfeld, M. A., and M. D. Rausher.  2009.  Genetic changes contributing to the repeated evolution of red floral pigmentation in Ipomoea.  New Phytologist 183: 751-763.   [Download PDF file]