Oral Paper

         Systematics

Code Red: Dissecting the evolutionary and ecological relationships of red, perennial paintbrushes, Castilleja (Orobanchaceae), along the California coast

Presenting Author
Adriana Hernandez
Description
Castilleja (the "paintbrushes") is a genus of American wildflowers with long-standing challenges in formally describing its 200+ species and their evolutionary relationships. Many co-occurring Castilleja species are difficult to distinguish in the field, in part due to their hypervariable nature, their overlapping distributions, and their potential to hybridize. This project focuses on evaluating species relationships of red, perennial Castilleja that grow mainly along the coast of California that appear to be diverging in the midst of gene flow. We use PacBio Hifi technology to assemble a high-quality, phased genome which provides a reference for comparative genomic and population genetic analyses. We have begun to collect extensive datasets across genetic, morphological, and ecological lines of evidence, in order to take a holistic approach to assessing and characterizing how these species and populations are related to each other, to characterize their ecological specializations, how to best identify species in the field, and ultimately, how they are related to other species in the genus.