A. Jonathan Shaw, Professor of Biology and Curator of Bryophytes, Duke Herbarium

Please note: A. has left the "Duke Herbarium" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

My research centers on the evolution and diversity of bryophytes. Current projects in the lab include molecular phylogenetic analyses of familial and ordinal level relationships in the arthrodontous mosses, studies of hybridization using molecular and morphological markers, and investigations of cryptic speciation within geographically widespread species. My own particular focus (as opposed to those of post-docs and graduate students in the lab) at present is the genus Sphagnum (peatmosses). Ongoing research is grounded in phylogenetic analyses at various levels of biological organization from populations up to genus-wide. We utilize DNA sequence data from the nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genomes to infer historical processes of biodiversification. I have a special interest in the genetic structure of both rare and widespread species. Morphological and molecular information is being used to explore geographic patterns in phylogenetic diversity within the peatmosses. Of particular interest are biogeographic relationships between boreal, tropical, and Southern Hemisphere taxa, and between New and Old World taxa. Our data base presently includes nucleotide sequences from multiple loci representing some 500-600 accessions of peatmosses. Additional information about this ongoing work can be found here. The bryology laboratory is engaged in ongoing collaborative research projects with the New York Botanical Garden, the University of Connecticut, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the University of Alberta. Additional information about these projects can be found here. I serve as Curator of the Bryophyte Herbarium, which includes approximately 230,000 collections of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. The collections represent a central resource for bryological research at Duke, and we are actively integrating molecular investigations with field work and collections- based approaches.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	Box 90338, 137 Bio Sciences, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone:	(919) 660-7344
Email Address:
Web Page:	https://sites.duke.edu/bryology/

Teaching (Spring 2024):

• BIOLOGY 344S.01, PLANT DIVERSITY IN THE FIELD Synopsis

  Bio Sci 069, W 01:40 PM-04:10 PM

  (also cross-listed as ENVIRON 344S.01)

• BIOLOGY 706.01, GRANT WRITING Synopsis

  Bio Sci 144, W 10:05 AM-12:35 PM

• LS 760.01, SELECTED TOPICS Synopsis

  GLS 2114 0101, Th 06:00 PM-09:00 PM

Education:

Ph.D.	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor	1983
M.S.	University of Alberta (Canada)	1980
B.S.	Cornell University	1977

Specialties:

Bryophytes

Research Interests: Evolution and diversity of bryophytes

Current projects: Phylogeny and biogeography of peatmosses (Sphagnum), Resolving the moss Tree-of-Life

My research centers on the evolution and diversity of bryophytes. Current projects in the lab include molecular phylogenetic analyses of familial and ordinal level relationships in the arthrodontous mosses, studies of hybridization using molecular and morphological markers, and investigations of cryptic speciation within geographically widespread species. My own particular focus (as opposed to those of post-docs and graduate students in the lab) at present is the genus Sphagnum (peatmosses). Ongoing research is grounded in phylogenetic analyses at various levels of biological organization from populations up to genus-wide. We utilize DNA sequence data from the nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genomes to infer historical processes of biodiversification. I have a special interest in the genetic structure of both rare and widespread species. Morphological and molecular information is being used to explore geographic patterns in phylogenetic diversity within the peatmosses. Of particular interest are biogeographic relationships between boreal, tropical, and Southern Hemisphere taxa, and between New and Old World taxa. Our data base presently includes nucleotide sequences from multiple loci representing some 500-600 accessions of peatmosses. Additional information about this ongoing work can be found here. The bryology laboratory is engaged in ongoing collaborative research projects with the New York Botanical Garden, the University of Connecticut, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the University of Alberta. Additional information about these projects can be found here. I serve as Curator of the Bryophyte Herbarium, which includes approximately 230,000 collections of mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. The collections represent a central resource for bryological research at Duke, and we are actively integrating molecular investigations with field work and collections- based approaches.

Keywords:

Adenosine Kinase • Algal Proteins • Alleles • Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis • Antarctic Regions • Arabidopsis • Base Sequence • Bayes Theorem • Biodiversity • Biological Evolution • Bryophyta • Bryophytes • Bryopsida • Chloroplasts • Chromosome Mapping • Chromosome Segregation • Classification • Climate Change • Crosses, Genetic • Diploidy • Dispersal • DNA • DNA Mutational Analysis • DNA Primers • DNA, Chloroplast • DNA, Plant • DNA, Ribosomal • DNA, Ribosomal Spacer • Ecosystem • Ecuador • Environment • Europe • Evolution, Molecular • Extinction, Biological • Fertilization • Frullania • Frullaniaceae • Gene Duplication • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant • Gene Flow • Genes, Plant • Genes, rRNA • Genetic Fitness • Genetic Markers • Genetic Speciation • Genetic Variation • Genetics, Population • Genome, Plant • Genotype • Geography • Germ Cells, Plant • Haploidy • Haplotypes • Hepatophyta • Heterozygote • Hybridization • Hybridization, Genetic • Inbreeding • Isoenzymes • Japan • Lepidoziaceae • Likelihood Functions • Linkage Disequilibrium • Liverworts • Lod Score • Microsatellite Repeats • Mitochondria • Models, Biological • Models, Genetic • Molecular Sequence Data • Mosses • Mutation • New York • New Zealand • North America • Ovule • Phylogeny • Phytochrome • Plant Leaves • Plant Stems • Ploidies • Pollen • Polymerase Chain Reaction • Polymorphism, Genetic • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide • Polyploidy • Population Dynamics • Population Growth • Principal Component Analysis • Quantitative Trait Loci • Quantitative Trait, Heritable • Recombination, Genetic • Reproduction • Reproductive Isolation • Scapania • Scapaniaceae • Seed Dispersal • Sequence Alignment • Sequence Analysis, DNA • Soil • Species Specificity • Sphagnopsida • Transcriptome • Tropical Climate

Curriculum Vitae

Current Ph.D. Students  

• Jessica M. Nelson  
•  
• Matthew G Johnson  
• Mariana Ricca  
• Lisa Pokorny  
• Ping Zhou  
• Kim Ryall  
•  
• Christine Davis  

Postdocs Mentored

• Benjamin Carter (2013/12-present)  
• Boon-Chuan Ho (2010 - 2012)  
• Peter Slovenyi (2007 - present)  
• Nico Devos (November 15, 2007 - present)  
• Lisa Karst (August 15, 2007 - present)  
• Jing Yu (August, 2007 - present)  
• Piers Majestyk (December 15, 2006 - present)  
• Gisela Olivan (January 01, 2006 - December 15, 2006)  
• Christine Davis (October 1, 2005 - present)  
• Ping Zhou (Started in Fall, 2003)  
• Alain Vanderpoorten (2002/01-2003/10)  

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Healey, AL; Piatkowski, B; Lovell, JT; Sreedasyam, A; Carey, SB; Mamidi, S; Shu, S; Plott, C; Jenkins, J; Lawrence, T; Aguero, B; Carrell, AA; Nieto-Lugilde, M; Talag, J; Duffy, A; Jawdy, S; Carter, KR; Boston, L-B; Jones, T; Jaramillo-Chico, J; Harkess, A; Barry, K; Keymanesh, K; Bauer, D; Grimwood, J; Gunter, L; Schmutz, J; Weston, DJ; Shaw, AJ, Newly identified sex chromosomes in the Sphagnum (peat moss) genome alter carbon sequestration and ecosystem dynamics., Nature plants, vol. 9 no. 2 (February, 2023), pp. 238-254 [doi]  [abs]
2. Robinson, S. C., M. Nieto-Lugilde, A. M. Duffy, K. M. Munoz, B. Aguero, A. Merced, K. Hassel, K. I. Flatberg, & A. J. Shaw. 2023, The Sphagnum cuspidatum complex: phylogeny, specie delimitation, and morphology, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blad1 (2023)
3. Piatkowski, B., D. J. Weston, B. Aguero, A. Duffy, K. Imwattana, A. L. Healey, J. Schmutz, & A. Jonathan Shaw, Divergent selection fuels genomic differentiation between incipient species of Sphagnum (peat moss), Annals of Botany, vol. 132 (2023), pp. 499–512
4. Shaw, A. J., M. Nieto-Lugilde, B. Aguero, A. Duffy, B. T. Piatkowski, J. Jaramillo-Chico, S. Robinson, K. Hassel, K. I. Flatberg, D. J. Weston, S. Schuette, & K. A. Hicks, Sphagnum diabolicum sp. nov. and S. magniae sp. nov.; morphological variation and taxonomy of the “S. magellanicum complex”, The Bryologist, vol. 126 (2023), pp. 69-89
5. Wieczynski, D., Yoshimura, K., Denison, E., Geisen, S., DeBruyn, J., Shaw, A. J., Weston, D., Pelletier, D., Wilhelm, S., J-P., Gibert, Viral infections likely mediate microbial controls on ecosystem responses to global warming, FEMS Microbiology Ecology (Accepted, 2023)