Department of Biology

David L. Remington

Research

I conduct research on the genetics of life history evolution in plants. The genes responsible for evolution of complex patterns of growth form and resource allocation have key roles in shaping how plants respond to new environments such as those brought about by changing climates. However, these processes have received much less study than those regulating other important adaptive traits such as flowering time. We have been using the rock cress Arabidopsis lyrata as an experimental organism for this research. We have discovered that A lyrata is highly variable in resource allocation properties, and its extensive genomic resources make it uniquely valuable for studying these traits. Mapping of genes affecting variation in complex traits (quantitative trait loci, or QTLs) has provided insights on genetic co-regulation of resource allocation traits and their relationship to fitness in different environments. We have been making and testing models of trait networks in order to gain insights on the cause-effect mechanisms by which QTLs coordinately regulate developmental processes, and thus give rise to correlated patterns of variation in multiple traits. I am interested in providing research opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students who combine mathematical aptitude with curiosity about how genetic variation shapes complex sets of traits.

Recent Publications

Pavlova, I.V., D.L. Remington, M. Horton, E. Tomlin, M.D. Hens, D. Chen, J. Willse, and M.D. Schug. 2021. An introductory biology research-rich laboratory course shows improvements in students’ research skills, confidence, and attitudes. PLOS ONE 16:e0261278.

Marshall, M.M., D.L. Remington, and E.P. Lacey. 2020. Two reproductive traits show contrasting genetic architectures in Plantago lanceolata. Molecular Ecology 29:272-291. doi: 10.1111/mec.15320.

Marshall, M.M., L.C. Batten, D.L. Remington, and E.P. Lacey. 2019. Natural selection contributes to geographic patterns of thermal plasticity in Plantago lanceolata. Ecology and Evolution 9:2945-2963. doi:10.1002/ece3.4977.

Remington, D.L. 2015. Alleles versus mutations: understanding the evolution of genetic architecture requires a molecular perspective on allelic origins. Evolution 69:3025-3038.

Remington, D.L., J. Figueroa, and M. Rane. 2015. Timing of shoot development transitions affects degree of perenniality in Arabidopsis lyrata (Brassicaceae). BMC Plant Biology 15:226.

Remington, D.L., P.H. Leinonen, J. Leppälä, and O. Savolainen. 2013. Complex genetic effects on early vegetative development shape resource allocation differences between Arabidopsis lyrata populations. Genetics 195:1087-1102.

Fournier-Level, A., A.M. Wilczek, M.D. Cooper, J.L. Roe, J. Anderson, D. Eaton, B.T. Moyers, R. Petipas, R.N. Schaeffer, B. Pieper, M. Reymond, M. Koornneef, S.M. Welch, D.L. Remington, and J. Schmitt. 2013. Paths to selection on life-history loci in different natural environments across the native range of Arabidopsis thaliana. Molecular Ecology 22:3552-3566.

Leinonen, P.H., D.L. Remington, J. Leppälä, and O. Savolainen. 2013. Genetic basis of local adaptation and flowering time variation in Arabidopsis lyrata. Molecular Ecology 22:709-723.

Gove, R., W. Chen, N.B. Zweber, R. Erwin, J. Rychtář, and D. L. Remington. 2012. Effects of causal networks on the structure and stability of resource allocation trait correlations. Journal of Theoretical Biology 293:1-14.

Leinonen, P.H., D.L. Remington, and O. Savolainen. 2011. Local adaptation, phenotypic differentiation and hybrid fitness in diverged natural populations of Arabidopsis lyrata. Evolution 65:90-107.

Remington, D.L. 2009. Effects of genetic and environmental factors on trait network predictions from quantitative trait locus data. Genetics 181:1087-1099.

Classes

Genetics (BIO 392)
Genetics Laboratory (BIO 393)
Biological Evolution (BIO 430)
Human Molecular Genetics (BIO 616)
DNA Sequence Analysis Workshop (BIO 633)