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[[Image:Lowry_field_2.JPG|thumb|right|In the field]]
Michigan State University: Assistant Professor 2014-Present
==About Me==
California State University, Monterey Bay: Assistant Professor 2014
The University of Texas at Austin: USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, 2010-2013
[[Image:Evolution_cover.jpg|thumb|left|Photo by David Lowry]]
Duke University: PhD, 2004-2010
I am a sixth year graduate student in the [http://upg.duke.edu/ Duke University Program in Genetics and Genomics], who hails from the redwood empire and wine country of Northern California. I spent 4.5 years of long latte-drinking nights at UC Berkeley during the thrilling boom and crash of the dot-com era. After college, I set out to explore the finer delights of world cultures and wildlife before joining the grind of graduate school. Alas, my time at [http://www.duke.edu Duke] has been good to me thanks to many fantastic people and my amazingly optimistic leader/advisor, [http://www.biology.duke.edu/willislab/ Dr. Johh Willis].
The University of California, Berkeley: BS, 1997-2001
The focus of my research is directed toward understanding the genetics of adaptation and speciation. To this end, I have chosen to study how divergent adaptation of the yellow monkey flower (''Mimulus guttatus''), to the coast versus inland habitat, contributes to reproductive isolation. I am using a combination of QTL mapping and candidate gene strategies to determine the genetic mechanisms that underlie the divergence of morphological and life-history traits between coast and inland ''Mimulus guttatus''. Further, I have carried out reciprocal transplant experiments and population genetic analysis to demonstrate that coast and inland ''Mimulus'' are locally adapted and reproductively isolated. I am currently conducting a new reciprocal transplant experiment with near isogenic lines to test hypotheses of local adaptation and introgression between ecogeographic races. In addition, I am conducting genetic analysis of flowering time under different light conditions, anthocyanin production in vegetative tissues, and ion accumulation. I am also working on the assembly of the ''Mimulus guttatus'' genome.
==Research Interests==
==Publications==
[[Image:Perdenales.jpg|thumb|left|Switchgrass in its native riparian habitat in central Texas]]
[[Image:Lowry_field_2.JPG|thumb|right|Field experiment with ''Mimulus guttatus'']]
[[Image:PhilTransCover.jpg|thumb|right|Photo by David Lowry]]
'''The genetics of adaptation and speciation'''
Lowry, D. B. A brief history of local adaptation and 'stages in the evolution of plant species.' ''In prep''
Adaptation is the most fundamental way that the environment can change the phenotypes of organisms. Adaptations can also lead to the formation of reproductive isolating barriers, which are the building blocks of new species. I am very interested in understanding the genetic underpinnings of reproductive isolation at various stages in the speciation process.
Lowry, D. B., C. Sheng, J.H. Willis. Genetics of variation in four vegetative anthocyanin phenotypes in ''Mimulus guttatus''. ''In prep''
Understanding adaptation is also crucial to predicting how organisms will respond to future global change and will help inform management decisions as well as guide future agricultural breeding.
Lowry, D. B., J. H. Willis. Chromosomal inversion linked to adaptive divergence and life-history shift of ''Mimulus guttatus''
'''Landscape evolutionary genomics'''
ecological races. ''In prep''
Lowry, D. B., S. R. Kirshenbaum. Fulfilling the promises of a transgenic future. ''Submitted''
One of the core goals of my research program is to understand how the natural landscape molds the genomes of organisms through adaptation. To that end, I am using a combination of genetic mapping and genome sequencing approaches to identify genes involved with adaptation to the heterogeneity of the natural landscape. During my dissertation, I focused on how adaptive alleles in ''Mimulus guttatus'' are spread across the landscape and what phenotypic effects they have in different environments across western North America. Currently, I am developing ''Panicum'' grasses as a model system to understand adaptation along a longitudinal soil moisture cline across Southwestern United States and a latitudinal temperature cline across the Great Plains. Our lab recently [http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/08/02/biologist-grant-study-potential-biofuel-crops/ received funding from the Department of Energy] to develop ''Panicum hallii'' as a model system for local adaptation and bioenergy research.
Hall M. C., D. B. Lowry, J. H. Willis. (2010). Multiple independent genetic loci control local adaptation in wild populations of ''Mimulus guttatus''. Molecular Ecology. ''In revision''
[[Image:Diversity.JPG|thumb|left|Phenotypic diversity of Switchgrass, ''Panicum virgatum'']]
[[Image:Field_2012.JPG|thumb|right|Field experiment with ''Panicum hallii'']]
[http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/01/22/rsbl.2009.0969.full Lowry, D. B. (2010) Landscape evolutionary genomics. Biology Letters. ''In press'']
'''Using evolutionary biology to improve bioenergy crops'''
[http://www.springerlink.com/content/vm4456721023284g/ Wu, C. A., D. B. Lowry, L. I. Nutter, J. H. Willis. (2010) Natural variation for drought response in the ''Mimulus guttatus'' species complex. Oecologia 162: 23-33]
Civilization is built on a foundation of domesticated grasses. Without those grasses (corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, sorghum) there would be no ballet and human beings would never of landed on the moon. Plant breeders have quietly worked in the shadows to increase the yield of crops and in turn maintain our modern world.
[http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122462935/abstract Lowry, D. B., M. C. Hall, D. E. Salt, J. H. Willis. (2009). Genetic and physiological basis of adaptive salt tolerance divergence between coastal and inland ''Mimulus guttatus.'' New Phytologist 183: 776-788]
Now, there may actually be potential to domesticate a new set of grass species to use to help combat the growing energy problem. My research is focused understanding the factors involved in local adaptation in the bioenergy crop switchgrass (''Panicum virgatum''). Loci involved in local adaptation are likely to be of high value to crop breeders interested in improving drought, heat, cold, herbivore, and disease tolerance.
[http://rstb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/363/1506/3009.long Lowry, D. B., J. L. Modliszewski, K. M. Wright, C. A. Wu, J. H. Willis. (2008). The strength and genetic basis of reproductive isolating barriers in flowering plants. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 363: 3009-3021]
==Publications==
[http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120775240/abstract Lowry, D. B., R. C. Rockwood, J. H. Willis. (2008). Ecological reproductive isolation of coast and inland races of ''Mimulus guttatus''. Evolution 62: 2196-2214]
[http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v100/n2/abs/6801018a.html Wu, C. A., D. B. Lowry, A. M. Cooley, K. M. Wright, Y. W. Lee, and J. H. Willis. (2008). ''Mimulus'' is an emerging model system for the integration of ecological and genomic studies. Heredity 100: 220-230.]
'''PDFs for publications available through my''' [http://davidbryantlowry.wordpress.com/publications/ '''website''']
==Important Things==
==Important Things==
* [http://web.me.com/davidbryantlowry/Site/Welcome.html My Website]
*[http://davidbryantlowry.wordpress.com/ My website]
*'''Contact Info:''' You can contact me at david.lowry@duke.edu.
*[[Media:David_Lowry_CV11.doc|Curriculum Vitae]]
*Make sure to check out the [[Mimulus Community]].
==Field Sites==
[[Image:coast_lowry.jpg|thumb|left|Habitat of coastal ''Mimulus'']]
[[Image:inland_lowry.jpg|thumb|right|Habitat of inland ''Mimulus'']]
*[http://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=list_works&hl=en&user=yp5xdBEAAAAJ&gmla=AJsN-F6DFaPZ9A0TNBwOFnsWZf9Y9S7rGntDIzs1ZOqg52GhHzGJ090M-xxUubHEHF3dyXE6XlN-jmJ1uYNJiAULSHsEkKAaqniu606ZwKxaDjIwB3wfiIkspwU-gntSRaYs7bNl5Mmy Google Scholar Citations ]
*[http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/TsunamisAndRice/How_Do_You_Measure_Soil_Salinity_.htm How to measure soil salinity]
==Bioinformatic/Statistical Software and Resources==
*[https://github.com/davidbryantlowry Programming Scripts on Github]
*'''Contact Info:''' You can contact me at davidbryantlowry@gmail.com.
*[http://www.stat.umn.edu/geyer/aster/ ASTER]
==Other useful sites==
*Make sure to check out the [[Mimulus Community]] and the [[Texas Switchgrass Collaborative]].
*[http://geography.about.com/library/blank/blxusx.htm Blank Outline Maps] that can be used to make figures.
Latest revision as of 07:10, 16 November 2014
Michigan State University: Assistant Professor 2014-Present
California State University, Monterey Bay: Assistant Professor 2014
The University of Texas at Austin: USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, 2010-2013
Duke University: PhD, 2004-2010
The University of California, Berkeley: BS, 1997-2001
Research Interests
Switchgrass in its native riparian habitat in central TexasField experiment with Mimulus guttatus
The genetics of adaptation and speciation
Adaptation is the most fundamental way that the environment can change the phenotypes of organisms. Adaptations can also lead to the formation of reproductive isolating barriers, which are the building blocks of new species. I am very interested in understanding the genetic underpinnings of reproductive isolation at various stages in the speciation process.
Understanding adaptation is also crucial to predicting how organisms will respond to future global change and will help inform management decisions as well as guide future agricultural breeding.
Landscape evolutionary genomics
One of the core goals of my research program is to understand how the natural landscape molds the genomes of organisms through adaptation. To that end, I am using a combination of genetic mapping and genome sequencing approaches to identify genes involved with adaptation to the heterogeneity of the natural landscape. During my dissertation, I focused on how adaptive alleles in Mimulus guttatus are spread across the landscape and what phenotypic effects they have in different environments across western North America. Currently, I am developing Panicum grasses as a model system to understand adaptation along a longitudinal soil moisture cline across Southwestern United States and a latitudinal temperature cline across the Great Plains. Our lab recently received funding from the Department of Energy to develop Panicum hallii as a model system for local adaptation and bioenergy research.
Phenotypic diversity of Switchgrass, Panicum virgatumField experiment with Panicum hallii
Using evolutionary biology to improve bioenergy crops
Civilization is built on a foundation of domesticated grasses. Without those grasses (corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, sorghum) there would be no ballet and human beings would never of landed on the moon. Plant breeders have quietly worked in the shadows to increase the yield of crops and in turn maintain our modern world.
Now, there may actually be potential to domesticate a new set of grass species to use to help combat the growing energy problem. My research is focused understanding the factors involved in local adaptation in the bioenergy crop switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Loci involved in local adaptation are likely to be of high value to crop breeders interested in improving drought, heat, cold, herbivore, and disease tolerance.
