ºÚÁÏÍø

Elizabeth Stacy and Donald Price , along with doctorate candidate Tomoko Sakishima published "Multiple Colonizations, Hybridization and Uneven Diversification in Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) Lineages on Hawai'i Island" in the Journal of Biogeography.  This work used variation at nine single-copy nuclear genes in this species-rich plant genus to investigate the roles of colonization and hybridization in shaping community assemblages.  Results revealed rapid diversification (3.5 species/My) of one of four lineages on Hawai'i Island likely due to hybridization between independently colonizating lineages.  Multiple colonization events followed by a merging of lineages may be particularly common during early-stage community assembly on islands and, through the generation of genetic variation, may be especially important for species diversification.