Research | McKenzie Lab

01

Genomics and systematics

We use genomics to study relationships among species and to understand the origins of recent divergence + the effect of gene flow.

Monarda

For our current work we are assembling high-quality reference genomes and analyzing genus-wide sequencing to understand systematics. Doing so will enable lots of downstream questions about speciation and adaptation.

Phlox and Pedicularis

Previous projects have examined floral color and recent divergence in Phlox and the evolution of Pedicularis in the Hengduan Mountains.

Pedicularis integrifolia in the Hengduan Mountains — *Pedicularis integrifolia* in the Hengduan Mountains.

...and more!

Plant diversity is what motivates us, so we are definitely excited to embrace new flowering plant systems in the future.

02

Methods and theory

We develop software and theory for phylogenomics and population genomics.

Our work has focused on phylogenomic simulations, theory about the multispecies coalescent with recombination and phylogenetic network inference, and, most recently, inference of mating-system variation.

Conceptual diagram of genealogical changes embedded within a species tree — Modeling genealogical change along genomes and across species histories

ipcoal, our simulation software, on GitHub ↗

03

Natural history at scale

We combine herbarium specimens, community science records, and high-throughput computational approaches to study patterns in diversity across broad geographic and temporal scales.

Our recent work has used computer vision to characterize geographic variation in flower color and to analyze the relationship between flower color, flowering phenology, and pollinator presence. Our collections-based work has focused on taxonomy in our focal systems of Monarda and Phlox.