Liberal Arts and Sciences
Laboratory of Molecular Systematics & Evolutionary Genetics
Led by Douglas Soltis · Biology
What we study
The Soltis Lab studies how flowering and land plants diversify, focusing on speciation, evolutionary relationships, and trait changes. They use field collections, laboratory experiments such as gene editing, and computer analyses of DNA data to answer these questions.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Fieldwork
- Computational
- Plants
- No organisms (data only)
- Coding required
- Projects
- 10
Current projects
Mapping microbial diversity onto the phylogeny of associated plant species
Studying how microbes are distributed across the evolutionary tree of plants.
Genome-wide DNA methylation dynamics following recent polyploidy in the allotetraploid Tragopogon miscellus (Asteraceae)
Examining DNA methylation changes after whole‑genome duplication in a polyploid plant.
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Building an inclusive botany: The “radicle” dream
Developing approaches to make botanical research more inclusive.
Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms
Uses genome-scale DNA data to trace how flowering plants (angiosperms) diversified and are related to each other.
Efficient Gene Editing and Overexpression of Gametophyte Transformation in a Model Fern
Applying gene‑editing tools to modify fern gametophytes for functional studies.
Project Molecular Investigation of the Newly Discovered Populations of Tragopogon (Asteraceae) from Idaho
The project looks at four new populations of the plant T. miscellus in Idaho to see where they came from. Researchers used DNA markers to find that most plants have T. pratensis as the mother, but some in Princeton have different mothers, suggesting backcrossing.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 589
Path to Food Security: Investigating the Utility of Feral Populations for Brassica Crop Breeding
The lab studies wild Brassica plants to find genes that could make crops more tolerant to climate stress. Using ecological niche models and AI to map plant locations, they identify feral populations that might survive higher temperatures, salinity, or water limits for future breeding.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 500
Using ecological niche models to predict the Pleistocene distribution of the conifers Torreya taxifolia and Taxus floridana
The lab uses ecological niche models and machine‑learning algorithms to match occurrence records of two rare conifers with environmental data, predicting their suitable habitats now and during the Pleistocene and comparing them to related species.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 454
Ecological Niche Models Reveal Climate Threats to Florida’s Hardwood Forest Biodiversity
The lab studies how climate change and human activities may shift where Florida hardwood forest plants can live. Students will use species records from GBIF and iDigBio to build models that show current and future suitable habitats for these plants.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 378
Determining the Parentage of Putative Polyploid Tragopogon mirus × miscellus Hybrids and Other Morphologically Unusual Goat-Beard Plants Found Near Pullman, Was
The lab studies how two hybrid plant species in Washington evolved from older species. Students use DNA tests to see if new plants are hybrids or just variations of the known species.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 82
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
How to reach out
Douglas Soltis hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.