Arielle Cooley

About me

I am a fifth-year graduate student in John Willis' lab. I work primarily on the genetics of floral pigment patterning in a group of mokeyflowers (Mimulus) from the foothills of the Chilean Andes. I grew up in Oregon, and may one day move back in a more westerly direction, but for now the Locopops are keeping me here.

Contact Info

Arielle Cooley
Duke University Biology Dept
Durham, NC 27708
Email: acooley@gmail.com

My Research

Fig. 1: M. l. luteus, M. l. variegatus, M. naiandinus, orange M. cupreus, and yellow M. cupreus

Mimulus luteus var. luteus, M. l. variegatus, M. naiandinus and M. cupreus are four closely related members of the genus Mimulus that differ dramatically in the distribution of a red anthocyanin pigment, cyanidin, in their floral tissues (Fig. 1). This pattern variation is phylogenetically unique: the study taxa belong to a large monophyletic group in which virtually all of the other ~40 species have remarkably constant corolla pigmentation (yellow with red spots along the throat). My thesis has focused on the following questions:

1. Is there evidence of pollinator-mediated reproductive isolation among floral types?
2. Are pigment patterning differences, both within and between species, simple or quantitative?
3. What is the identity of the pigment patterning genes?
   • Are the functional changes structural or regulatory?
   • Is there evidence of convergent evolution (are distinct genetic mechanisms responsible for similar phenotypes)?

Publications

Cooley, A. M., A. Reich, and P. Rundel (2004). Leaf support biomechanics of neotropical understory herbs. American Journal of Botany 91: 573-581.

Wu, C.A., D.B. Lowry, A.M. Cooley, K.M. Wright, Y.-W. Lee, and J.H. Willis (in press). Mimulus is an emerging model system for the integration of ecological and genomic studies. Heredity

Cooley, A.M., G. Carvallo, and J.H. Willis (submitted). Reproductive isolation in Chilean Mimulus: the role of floral pigment versus shape. New Phytologist