Leslie Goertzen
goertzen@indiana.edu

Indiana University
Department of Biology
Jordan Hall 142
1001 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
USA

Advisors:
Dr. Jeffrey Palmer, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, IU
Dr. Loren Reiseberg, Ecology, Evolution, & Behavior, IU


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Research Interests


 Allium

My research interests are broadly based in flowering plant evolution and phylogeny, but current projects involve the mitochondrial genome. Plant mitochondrial genomes are in evolutionary flux -- the process of gene transfer to the nucleus is ongoing and appears to be highly accelerated in certain lineages e.g. Allium, Lachnocaulon, Erodium and Phlox. I am conducting a fine-scale survey of mt gene loss in these and other plant genera, hoping to identify instances of recent transfer to the nucleus. Identifying recent waves of transfer may provide a model system for examining the underlying causes of accelerated mt gene loss, potentially including elevated reverse transcriptase activity.

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Publications

.... none currently ....

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OVERVIEW M TRAINING M SEMINARSM PEOPLE M RESEARCH

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