Drivers of adaptation and rapid radiation in wild tobaccos

Nicotiana section Suaveolentes represents the majority of taxa within the genus of tobaccos, most of which are found across Australia, and with most diversity in the central arid regions of Australia. Over the past decade collaborative research has helped to collect and verify populations from across the range of most taxa within the group. This has enabled us to produce a new and robust phylogenetic framework for section Suaveolentes and to gain a better understanding of the recent and rapid radiation of species within this group. What has become apparent is that within major clades, there are ongoing radiations that are extremely recent (<100,000 years old), and which represent taxa with more subtle morphological differences and ecologies. Using a high-throughput DNA dataset (RADseq) you will focus on reconstructing the phylogenetic history of several species complexes using SNP data, and help to delimit the species. Phylogenomic and population genomic analyses will be used to reciprocally illuminate morphological comparisons. This may also provide evidence for the recognition of new taxa that have been hiding within an understudied group of plants, as well as the definition of more widespread but poorly understood taxa. Furthermore, this project will compare different clades and groups of sister species, looking at key adaptive traits. This will investigate both key morphology and ecology, including ecological niche models and the role of environment in driving speciation.