We are studying patterns of diversity in Begonia using a range of high throughput sequencing methods, including genome and transcriptome sequencing and using Hyb_Seq to retrieve sequence data from herbarium specimens.

Projects

• Mutational meltdown in a mega diverse genus (Thibauld Michel PhD Project (http://www.plantid.uio.no/)
• The genetics of leaf shape in Begonia (Cynthia Fan PhD Project)
• The role of genome dynamics in Begonia speciation patterns (Lucia Campos Dominguez PhD Project)
• Evolution of shade tolerance in cave dwelling Begonia (with Kuo-Fang Cho and Yu-Hsing Tseng [Academia Sinica])

Key Publications

Forrest LL, Hart ML, Hughes M, Wilson HP, Chung K-F, Tseng Y-H, Kidner CA (2019) The limits of Hyb-Seq for herbarium specimens: impact of preservation techniques.  Front. Ecol. Evol 7:439. doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00439

Hart ML, LL Forrest, JA Nicholls, CA Kidner (2016). Retrieval of hundreds of nuclear loci from herbarium specimens. Taxon, 65 1081-1092 doi.org/10.12705/655.9

Brennan A, S Bridgett, M Shaukat Ali, N Harrison, A Mathews, J Pellicer, A Twyford, CA Kidner (2012). Genomic resources for evolutionary studies in the large, diverse tropical genus Begonia. Tropical Plant Biology 5:261-276

Contact: Catherine Kidner