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Jeremiah W. Busch Interests:
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I am ultimately interested in understanding the consequences of inbreeding on organisms in the wild. This is an important avenue of investigation since most plants and animals are forced to mate with relatives (or themselves) in increasingly fragmented modern populations. In the past, I have explored these interests by studying the evolution of deleterious mutation load, mating-system evolution, and the maintenance of outcrossing by antagonists. Most of my work has focused on Leavenworthia,a plant genus in which close relatives vary in their possession of a single locus inbreeding barrier. This natural variation provides a window into understanding how reproductive decisions may have long-lasting consequences on the persistence and viability of individuals and natural populations. |
At present, I am focusing much of my effort on the genetics of self-incompatibility. In collaboration with Daniel Schoen at McGill University, I have identified the genomic region housing the functional inbreeding barrier in Leavenworthia. We are now nailing down the genetic events (e.g. mutation and/or recombination) at the S-locus that have paved the way for the repeated evolution of inbreeding in this natural system. We are particularly interested in reconstructing the ecological scenario in which this recent adaptive transition occurred. These studies will provide insight into the evolutionary mechanisms that generate major organismal change. |
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Publications in progress Busch, J.W., and D.J. Schoen. 2008. Mate limitation and the evolution of self-incompatibility in small populations (for Trends in Plant Science submission). Busch, J.W., J. Sharma, and D.J. Schoen. 2008. Molecular characterization of a SRK-like gene linked to self-incompatibility in the wild mustard Leavenworthia alabamica (for Genetics submission). Publications
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Last update: Sept. 6, 2007