Whitlock Lab

I joined the Whitlock Lab here at UM in August 2024. Dr. Barbara Whitlock explains the goals for her lab:

“The primary goal of my research is to understand the origins of plant diversity. I use phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data in combination with information from morphology, anatomy, and ecology to understand the timing and direction of changes in floral and vegetative traits, geographic distribution, and diversification rates. My students and I have studied many different groups of flowering plants, from both tropical and temperate regions.  However, I have a longstanding interest in chocolate, Theobroma cacao, and its relatives in the Malavaeae.  My research has always had a strong field component. I have studied plants in Cameroon, Australia, many locations in South and Central America, and more recently in the western US and Florida.”

I will focus my dissertation work on the comparative morphology of the Malavaceae. Chapters will focus on (i) self-compatibility and self-incompatibility mechanisms of the Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), and how morphological features can serve as a proxy for compatibility status. (ii) Investigating the emergence of floral structures during early embryogenesis of a species in the Ayenia genus.