RESEARCH OVERVIEW:

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Management of non-indigenous species (NIS) is currently focused on managing species rather than specific populations.  A better understanding of the processes and variables influencing the invasion potential of NIS populations will allow managers to better prioritize management to the most invasive populations, leading to a more efficient use of limited management budgets. We are currently creating, through herb-chronology and genetic relatedness between individuals, a time-line for the invasion and expansion of a metapopulation of Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica).

Specifically, I am determining the degree of genetic variation within and among Dalmatian toadflax populations through inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) analysis. In ISSR analysis, primers that anneal to microsatellite are used during polymerase chain reactions (PCR) to amplify the region between two microsatellites. The resulting DNA fragments are size-separated and visualized with gel electrophoresis. Each band represents a genomic molecular marker. The similarity between the banding patterns is positively correlated with genetic relatedness between individuals. This approach will allow us to tease apart the contribution of vegetative growth and seed dispersal in population expansion as well as begin to identify source/sink populations. This information will be correlated with the climatic history of the invaded area to establish factors that influence population growth or decline. A database including both climate and phylogenetic information for this species and other NIS could provide managers with practical information to judge how aggressive a species will spread in a given climate year.

Relevant Publications: 

Keith B, Brummer T, Dyer W, Maxwell B, and Rew LJ.  Deciphering dispersal patterns of Dalmatian toadflax. Society for Range Management and Weed Science Society of America, Denver, CO. February 7-11 2010.

Selected Publications

Keith B.K., E. B. Kalinina, and W. E. Dyer. 2011. Differentially expressed genes in dicamba-resistant
and dicamba-susceptible biotypes. Weed Biology and Management 11, 224–234 (2011)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1445-6664.2011.00424.x/pdf

Shajahan A.N., Timblin B.K., Sandoval R., Tiruppathi C., Malik A. B., and Minshall R. D. 2004. Role of Src-Induced Dynamin-2 Phosphorylation in Caveolae-Mediated Endocytosis in Endothelial Cells.J. Biol. Chem. 7;279(19):20392- 20400.

Timblin B., Rehli M., and Skidgel R.A. 2002. Structural Characterization of the Human Carboxypeptidase D Gene and Its Promoter. Int. Immunopharmacol. 2(13-14)1907-17.

Timblin B.K. and L. W. Bergman. 1997. Elevated Expression of Stress Response Genes Resulting From Deletion of the PHO85 Gene. Molecular Microbiology, 26:981-990.

Timblin B.K., Tatchell K. and L.W. Bergman. 1996. Deletion of the Gene Encoding the Cyclin-Dependent Protein Kinase PHO85 Alters Glycogen Metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.Genetics, 143(1):57-66.

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