Tate
lab at Massey University
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Our research focuses on understanding the
nature of plant speciation and diversification using a variety of approaches.
We use molecular phylogenetics to test ideas of species relationships,
taxonomy, biogeography, and character evolution. We also use morphological and molecular tools
to understand different evolutionary processes affecting plant speciation, including
hybridization and polyploidy (whole genome doubling) and plant mating
systems. A recurrent theme of our
research is to assess and understand the repeatability of evolution and its
effects on morphological and genomic level traits.
News
March 2022: Congratulations
to Tingyu Qin for submission of her MSc thesis on Corybas
(Orchidaceae)
November 2021: Congratulations
to Sophie Newmarch for successful conversion of her MSc to a PhD and securing a
Vice Chancellor’s PhD scholarship from Massey
March 2021: Welcome to Hannah Hodgkinson who is starting
her PhD on clover epigenetics at AgResearch!
March 2021: Super excited
that our paper on polyploidy on islands is finally published – this was truly a
team effort of fantastic people working together across multiple time zones! https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.637214
January 2021: Congratulations
to Sofie Pearson for submitting her PhD thesis – some great papers to come from
this work!
September 2020: Congratulations
to Sophie Newmarch on her
successful application to the Australasian Systematic Botany Society Hansjörg Eichler Research Fund to support her research on phylogenomics of Libertia
(Iridaceae).
September 2020: Congratulations
to Grace Ehoche on the successful defense on her PhD research – with no emendations!!
May 2020: Congratulations to Weixuan Ning on his
successful confirmation exam!
2020: yeah, let’s just not even go there…except
happy to launch our new BSc
in Plant Science at Massey – refreshed for the new year and new courses
coming!
December 2019: Congratulations
to Sidra Hussain on her successful confirmation exam!
December 2019: Congratulations to
Dr Kay Pilkington, who successfully defended her PhD! Way to go Kay!
November 2019: Heading to the
ASBS/NZPCN meeting in Wellington – looking forward to a week of awesome talks
and networking!
September 2019: Welcome to Dr
Maggie Hanes – our sabbatical visitor for the year, visiting us from Eastern
Michigan University. Maggie works on Malvaceae,
mostly from Madagascar, so excited to talk about mallows!
July 2019: Congratulations to Weixuan Ning on his
successful application to the Australasian Systematic Botany Society Hansjörg Eichler Research Fund to support his research on
polyploidy in New Zealand Azorella (Apiaceae).
June 2019: We are very excited to welcome Demet Töre from Turkey and Usama Muhktar
from Pakistan to work on our polyploidy project. Our international lab is
growing!
January 2019: We
are recruiting two PhD students to work on our Marsden-funded project on
cytonuclear evolution in polyploids. Note: these positions are now closed.
December 2018:
Off to the ASBS meeting in Brisbane – ready for a great week of
systematics talks! Weixuan is heading
out into the field with co-supervisor Heidi Meudt to hunt down some alpine
plants.
November 2018: Very excited to be the recipient of a Marsden
Fund to study the cytonuclear aspects of polyploid genome evolution. This
project is in collaboration with Murray Cox (Massey), Dan Sloan (Colorado
State), and Doug and Pam Soltis (University of Florida/Florida Museum of
Natural History). We will be recruiting two PhD students to work on this
project, so watch this space!
October 2018: A big welcome to Weixuan Ning to the
lab! Weixuan is a new PhD student who
will be working on a Marsden-funded project exploring polyploid diversification
in native New Zealand plants. Very
excited to have him as part of our enthusiastic polyploid team, which includes
Bill Lee (Manaaki
Whenua - Landcare Research), Heidi Meudt and Patrick Brownsey (Te Papa Tongarewa, The Museum of
New Zealand)!
September 2018: A
big welcome to Sidra Hussain to the lab!
Sidra is a new PhD student who will study cytonuclear genome
coordination in Tragopogon
polyploids. Very excited to have her dive into the complexity of these
polyploid genomes!