Phylogenomics and biogeography of Micranthes (Saxifragaceae)
2015 NSF OISE-1515227 EAPSI:Tracing the Evolution and Distribution of an Alpine-Arctic Plant Between North America and China – $5000
2018 ASPT Cooley Award Winner – $500
The genus Micranthes (Saxifragaceae) has been overlooked and understudied. This is a consequence of having been incorrectly merged with Saxifraga for over two centuries, its muddled taxonomy and karyology, and the remote and isolated location of its many species in alpine and arctic areas. This research will provide the first in-depth evolutionary and systematic study of these enigmata taxa. This is being achieved through extensive and arduous fieldwork throughout North America, establishment of a living collection, cutting-edge next generation DNA sequencing, and in-depth taxonomic studies. Furthermore, a thorough systematic and taxonomic revision of the genus, coupled with the distribution of many taxa in alpine and arctic areas, will have significance in consideration of global climate change.
Stubbs, R.L., Folk, R.A., Soltis, D.E., Cellinese, N. 2020. Diversification in the Arctic: Biogeography and Systematics of the North American Micranthes (Saxifragaceae). Systematic Botany 45: 802-811.
Stubbs, R.L., Folk, R.A., Xiang, C., Chen, S., Soltis, D.E., Cellinese, N. 2020. A Phylogenomic Perspective on Evolution and Discordance in the Alpine-Arctic Plant Clade Micranthes (Saxifragaceae). Frontiers in Plant Science 10:1773 doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.01773
Folk, R.A., Stubbs, R.L., Mort, M.E., Cellinese, N., Allen, J.M., Soltis, P.S., Soltis, D.E., Guralnick, R.P. 2019. Rates of niche and phenotype evolution lag behind diversification in a temperate radiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Stubbs, R.L., Soltis, D.E., and Cellinese, N. 2018. The future of cold-adapted plants in changing climates: The clade Micranthes (Saxifragaceae) as a case study. Ecology and Evolution doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4242.
Stubbs. R., Folk, R., Xiang, C., Soltis, D., Cellinese, N. 2018. Pseudo-parallel patterns of disjunctions in an Arctic-alpine plant lineages. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 123: 88-100.