Yaowu Yuan, Ph.D.
Mentor
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
The Yuan lab studies the genetics, development, and evolution of phenotypic diversity and novelty. We study flower diversification as a representation of the general problem of phenotypic evolution. The specific questions we ask include: What are the genes underlying the dazzling variation of flower color and shape? How do these gene products (e.g., transcription factors, enzymes, signaling proteins) regulate the production, transportation, modification, and degradation of pigments to generate floral color patterns? How do they regulate the division, elongation, and polarization of cells to make flower shapes? How does evolution tinker with these genes to generate different, and sometimes novel, phenotypes? What is the adaptive significance of the diverse floral forms? How do flowers with different color patterns and shapes interact with different pollinators? What role do these interactions play in adaptation and speciation? We use a wide range of techniques to address these questions, from greenhouse cross to gene expression analysis, from computational analysis of genome data to transgenic manipulation, from microscopy to mathematical modeling, and from phylogenetic comparison to pollinator observation.
