How do new species arise?
On Australia’s coast, Senecio lautus grows upright on sand dunes and hugs the ground on rocky headlands. We study how these differences evolve, when they keep populations from interbreeding, and how much of that change we can predict.
At the Ortiz-Barrientos Lab, we combine field experiments, genomics, and mathematical models. Our research connects the origins of species with the limits of prediction in evolution and plant breeding.
School of the Environment · The University of Queensland · Brisbane, Australia
Research at the Ortiz-Barrientos Lab
When adaptation creates reproductive barriers
On coastal dunes, Senecio lautus grows upright. On nearby rocky headlands, it spreads low across the ground. Crosses between plants that differ in their response to gravity can produce sterile hybrids. We use field experiments and genetic mapping to ask how often adaptation sets populations on the path to becoming different species.
How genetic networks shape evolution
Genes act together to build a trait. We use mathematical models, gene-expression data, and selection experiments to ask how those interactions change the effects of new mutations and constrain the directions a population can evolve.
Predicting evolution and breeding outcomes
Which responses to selection can we predict? We follow recombinant populations over generations and compare evolutionary forecasts with experiments. Our work in crop genomics asks why breeding gains can stall even when genetic variation remains.
Why evolution repeats
Dunes and rocky headlands occur side by side at multiple sites along the Australian coast. Each pair gives us another test of evolution’s repeatability. When plants evolve similar shapes independently, we ask whether selection has acted on the same genes, the same pathways, or different parts of the genome.
Gametes and reproductive isolation
Fertilisation depends on interactions between male and female function. We study how pollen, pistils, and local conditions influence which crosses succeed and how these interactions can change gene flow between plant populations.
Genomic resources for Senecio
Field collections, genome sequences, linkage maps, and recombinant populations help us connect variation in DNA to the way a plant grows and reproduces. We use these resources to study Senecio lautus across its geographic and ecological range.
CONTACT US
Thank you for your interest in our research. Get in touch with us for any questions or comments regarding our work and publications.
The University of Queensland
School of the Environment
St Lucia, QLD 4072
Australia
