PHD RESEARCH — EVOLUTION IN INVASIVE PLANTS
During my PhD at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, I studied how invasive plants respond to new environments and how we can distinguish evolutionary change from patterns caused by introduction history and other non-adaptive processes. I focused on Erigeron canadensis (syn. Conyza canadensis), a plant native to North America that has spread across much of the world.
I combined population genomics, common-garden experiments, genome-size measurements, and environmental data to explore its invasion history and variation across native and non-native populations. Using ddRAD sequencing, I investigated genetic diversity, population structure, and the roles of repeated introductions and admixture. I also examined associations between genomic variation and environmental conditions, and whether estimated genomic mismatches were associated with plant performance.
Another part of my research explored whether genome size varied with climate and genetic background, and whether these relationships differed between native and non-native populations. Alongside this experimental work, I reviewed how common-garden studies are designed to test rapid evolution and identified ways to strengthen the evidence they provide.
What interested me most was bringing these approaches together: using molecular tools alongside ecological experiments to understand the processes behind invasion success.
EARLIER RESEARCH — SEED DISPERSAL AND MOLECULAR ECOLOGY
From 2013 to 2020, I studied seed dispersal and genetic diversity in Euterpe edulis, a threatened palm native to Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. This work introduced me to molecular ecology and sparked my interest in using genetic tools to answer ecological questions.
During my undergraduate research, I investigated how seed-dispersal distances and seed genetic diversity were associated with defaunation across forest remnants. I combined fieldwork with molecular analyses to explore how the loss of seed-dispersing animals could affect plant populations.
For my Master’s research, I focused on the consequences of losing large fruit-eating birds. Working across ten Atlantic Forest remnants, I used microsatellite markers and maternity analyses to investigate seed movement and relatedness among seeds. My aim was to understand how changes in animal communities affect seed dispersal and the spatial distribution of genetic diversity.
In this short video I talk about my undergraduate and master’s work with the E. edulis palm in the Atlantic Forest. (Portuguese only)