Darwin Day 2015 to Explore Plant Domestication and Evolution

Identifying how plants evolve through domestication and in the wild will be at the center of the 2015 Darwin Day lecture on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. in the Power Center Ballroom.

Featured speaker Dr. John Doebley, professor of genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will present Darwin, Wallace and Domestication, during which he will examine the genetic basis for evolutionary changes in plants through domestication.

In his book On the Origin of Species, evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin used plant and animal domestication as a basis for his theory on natural selection. Though it was somewhat controversial, Darwin believed that the pressures placed on planted crops to evolve are the same as those placed on wild plants by birds and other seed-dispersing animals. Conversely, Alfred Wallace, the co-discoverer of natural selection, did not believe in using artificial selection as a model for natural selection.

“Regardless of the differences of opinion between Darwin and Wallace, artificial selection is a powerful model to help people understand how natural selection acts to cause plant and animal adaptation,” said Dr. David Lampe, associate professor of biology and Darwin Day coordinator. “That is as true today as it was in Darwin’s time.

Over the past 20 years, genetic research has uncovered the basis for the changes that occur during evolution through both natural and artificial selection. In his own research, Doebley has examined the genetic similarities and differences between domesticated maize (corn) and its closest wild relative, teosinte (any of several tall annual or perennial grasses), and has cloned the genes that caused the differences between the two plants.

During his presentation, Doebley will review what has been learned about the basis for the change in the plants’ forms under domestication and whether any patterns are beginning to emerge.

Darwin Day is an annual celebration of Darwin’s life and work. International events are held to highlight the importance of science education in today’s modern world and the wide-reaching impact of evolutionary biology.

The lecture, which is sponsored on campus by the Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.

For more information about Darwin Day 2015, visit the website or email darwin2015@duq.edu.