September 21, 2017
Division of Biology Seminar Sept. 22
Submitted by Division of Biology
Allison Miller, professor of biology at Saint Louis 1xbet online sports betting and a research associate at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, will present "Perennial plant diversity and evolution: science to advance conservation, crop improvement, and sustainable agriculture" as part of the Division of Biology Seminar series at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22, in221 Ackert Hall.
Understanding mechanisms shaping phenotypic variation in plants is a fundamental goal in biology and the foundation of domestication and crop improvement. Perennial plants have several key features that influence evolutionary processes in unique ways relative to annual systems including clonal propagation, interspecific hybridization and genetic load. Using two case studies — grapes, perennial legumes — Millerwill highlight the evolution of diversity in perennial plant species and the role of natural plant variation in perennial crop improvement and sustainable agriculture.
Miller's research program focuses on evolutionary processes in contemporary and emerging perennial crops and their wild relatives. Ongoing work in her group includes grapevines, perennial, herbaceous legumes and tropical fruit trees. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees in botany from Miami 1xbet online sports betting in Oxford, Ohio, and Colorado State 1xbet online sports betting respectively, and holds a doctorate in ecology, evolution and population biology from Washington 1xbet online sports betting in St. Louis.
If you would like to visit with Miller, please contact Carolyn Ferguson at ferg@k-state.edu.