Evolutionary Genomics of Plant Diversity

Investigating Genome Evolution and Biodiversity

What drives the evolution of plant diversity? How do genome duplications impact evolutionary trajectories? What drives chromosome number evolution across plant lineages? How do species navigate diploidization following polyploidy? How do hybridization and polyploidy interact to generate diversity? These questions are fundamental to understanding the genomic forces that generate biological diversity.

The Barker Lab at the University of Arizona investigates how genomic complexity shapes plant biodiversity through integrative research approaches. We combine data from field collections, genome sequencing, herbarium studies, and biodiversity databases with computational tools including machine learning, phylogenomics, and population genetics to decode the evolutionary forces shaping plant diversity.

Our research spans the Sonoran Desert and Madrean Sky Islands where we study hybrid and polyploid speciation in Selaginella, chromosome number evolution in clades such as Xanthisma and related Asteraceae to the homosporous ferns, and ancient whole genome duplications across the tree of life. We develop new tools like Frackify, Ploidify, SLEDGE, HyDe-CNN, GOmosaic, and SynTRACE to analyze complex evolutionary processes across new data types and genomic scales.

We also lead the NSF CAMBIUM NRT → program, training graduate students to work with biodiversity big data and apply it to climate adaptation challenges. Additionally, we host the monthly Polyploidy Webinar Series →, connecting the global polyploidy research community.

Explore the details: Our Research →, Study Systems →, Publications →, and Code → pages contain information about ongoing projects, computational tools, and collaborative opportunities.

Join our research lab: We welcome researchers interested in tackling these questions through various approaches—whether through bioinformatics and computational analysis, field collections and herbarium work, or experimental studies. No prior computational experience required. If you are interested in joining us as a graduate student, postdoc, or undergraduate researcher, meet our current lab → and contact us → to explore research opportunities.