February 23, 2023
Jae Young Choi to present Division of Biology Seminar
Submitted by Division of Biology
Jae Young Choi, assistant professor at the University of Kansas, will present his research titled "Genomics of Adaptive Radiation: Understanding the Mechanism Behind the Speciation Paradox" as part of the Division of Biology Seminar Series at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, in 221 Ackert Hall.
Some of the most spectacular adaptive radiations begin with founder populations on remote islands. How genetically limited founder populations can give rise to the striking phenotypic and ecological diversity characteristic of adaptive radiations is a paradox of evolutionary biology.
In this talk, Choi will present results from his research on the the Hawaiian Metrosideros a landscape-dominant, incipient adaptive radiation of woody plants that spans a striking range of phenotypes and environments across the Hawaiian Islands. Choi will present evolutionary genomics analysis of the Hawaiian Metrosideros, which involved using nanopore-sequencing to create chromosome-level genome assembly and population genomic analysis of whole-genome sequences of 131 individuals from 11 taxa sampled across the islands. Choi's findings suggest that Hawaiian Metrosideros possesses an unexpectedly rich pool of ancestral genetic variation, and the reassortment of these variations has fueled the island adaptive radiation. Visit the lab's website.
If you would like to visit with Choi, contact Mark Ungerer at mcungere@k-state.edu.