Reproductive systems and the related consequences
Animals and plants exhibit diverse reproductive modes, including outcrossing, self-fertilization, and asexual reproduction, with frequent evolutionary transitions between them. The evolution of reproductive modes involves several key selective forces. Selection can arise from deleterious mutations, including inbreeding depression, indirect selection due to segregation and recombination, as well as ecological factors such as mate and resource limitation. A number of my previous studies thus focused on providing a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of reproductive modes by synthesizing key genetic and ecological factors.
Reproductive systems have significant evolutionary outcomes. For example, selfing is considered as an evolutionary dead end. My previous studies tested this hypotheiss by invesigating the rate of selfing on adaptation, rescue, speciation, and deleterious mutation accumulation. I found that although highly selfing may be extinction, an intermedate rate of selfing may promote adaptation by combining genetic and ecological advantages. I am testing these prediction by using phylogenetic methods to estimate the dependency of lineage diversification rates on the rate and capacity of self-fertilization across multiple generate.
My recent focus has been on understanding the evolution of plasticity in reproductive modes, where increased allocation to selfing and/or asexual reproduction in response to environmental changes is commonly observed. Unlike traits unrelated to reproduction, plasticity in reproductive modes possesses a unique property of altering selective pressures and recombination patterns across the entire genome. For instance, I have discovered that the selection and dominance coefficients of deleterious mutations play a crucial role in determining the plasticity of selfing rates.
Reproductive systems have significant evolutionary outcomes. For example, selfing is considered as an evolutionary dead end. My previous studies tested this hypotheiss by invesigating the rate of selfing on adaptation, rescue, speciation, and deleterious mutation accumulation. I found that although highly selfing may be extinction, an intermedate rate of selfing may promote adaptation by combining genetic and ecological advantages. I am testing these prediction by using phylogenetic methods to estimate the dependency of lineage diversification rates on the rate and capacity of self-fertilization across multiple generate.
My recent focus has been on understanding the evolution of plasticity in reproductive modes, where increased allocation to selfing and/or asexual reproduction in response to environmental changes is commonly observed. Unlike traits unrelated to reproduction, plasticity in reproductive modes possesses a unique property of altering selective pressures and recombination patterns across the entire genome. For instance, I have discovered that the selection and dominance coefficients of deleterious mutations play a crucial role in determining the plasticity of selfing rates.
Evolutionary rescue
Evolutionary rescue is the process that populations may avoid extinction via adaptive evolution. My prior research has focused on unraveling the effects of fundamental factors on the likelihood of rescue, including mating systems, selection intensity, and stochasticity. Ongoing and future studies aim to address questions more related to application in conservation, agriculture, and medicine (e.g., herbicide/drug resistance), but also with scietinfic significance. Ongoing works mainly focus on identifying selection strategies (e.g., how selection intensity changes over time) that minimizes or maximizes the rescue probability.
Mate choice and sexual selection
Sexual selection is selection caused by differential mating succusses among individuals due to non-random mating mating. Sexual selection is a powerful force in trait evolution, speciation and adaptation. My interest is to address fundamental questions that remain in sexual selection. For example, it is often expected that sexual selection should eventually deplete genetic variation and thus diminish strong preferences, posing a longstanding puzzle regarding why sexual traits are highly diverse and how costly strong preferences and display traits are maintained. I am using infinitesimal models to address the puzzles.
Moreover, I am also interested in identifying the similarity and differences by which sexual selection proceeds in plants versus animals. Compared to animals, most plant individuals serve as both males and females, and the process of mate choices in plant populations are indirectly mediated by pollinators. A well-known example is the Darwin's orchid and the sphinx moth, where pollination efficiency peaks when the moth’s tongue length matches the plant’s spur.
Moreover, I am also interested in identifying the similarity and differences by which sexual selection proceeds in plants versus animals. Compared to animals, most plant individuals serve as both males and females, and the process of mate choices in plant populations are indirectly mediated by pollinators. A well-known example is the Darwin's orchid and the sphinx moth, where pollination efficiency peaks when the moth’s tongue length matches the plant’s spur.
Flowering strategies
Plants exhibit a fascinating diversity in flowering strategies, including variations in flower size, color, and geometry, which significantly impact reproductive success and often undergo rapid evolution. I am particularly interested in understanding how environmental factors shape this diverse array of flowering strategies. The majority of my previous projects have focused on investigating the effects of pollination environments on strategies related to the timing of flower opening and closure, encompassing variables such as flower longevity, flowering time, and the sequence of blooming. These studies have highlighted the importance of distinguishing between the rates of pollen deposition and removal, as they can exert distinct influences on the evolution of flowering strategies.