From Plant Press, Vol. 1, No. 6, November 1998.
Gery Allan, a Post-doctoral Fellow, will be working with Liz Zimmer,Warren Wagner and Chrissen Gemmill (University of Waikato, New Zealand) at the Laboratory of Molecular Systematics. His project will focus on breeding system evolution in South Pacific and Hawaiian Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae), and will involve developing molecular markers, or “microsatellites,” for resolving evolutionary relationships among the Hawaiian species. The study of variation in floral phenology of the Hawaiian species, in order to better understand temporal differences in sexual expression, will provide information on the reproductive function of different floral phenotypes in remote insular floras. A clearer understanding of taxonomic relationships can lead to a more accurate floristic inventory of the Hawaiian Islands, and help in deciding conservation management issues that pertain to a number of rare and endangered Pittosporum taxa. Molly Nepokroeff, a Post-doctoral Fellow, is working with Warren Wagner and Liz Zimmer on the systematics of Pacific and Hawaiian Psychotria (Rubiaceae), focusing on intensive sampling of the Pacific Psychotria in order to better resolve sister group relationships and the evolution of floral dimorphism in the Hawaiian lineage. She will be utilizing molecular and morphological data for phylogeny reconstruction, and also highly polymorphic molecular markers, AFLPs, to look at species relationships. Additionally, she plans to revise the taxonomy of the Hawaiian species.
Ellen Murphy is a new volunteer at the department’s research greenhouse. She is a senior in International Studies at George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
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