Université de Montréal
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Simon Joly
Start: 2025-09-01
End: 2030-06-30

Project

Studies on the abiotic factors driving evolution of flower shape and color in subfamily Gesneriaceae
Floral diversity in angiosperms reflects evolutionary responses to both biotic and abiotic pressures. While pollination syndromes have long dominated explanations for floral diversification, growing evidence suggests that abiotic factors impose critical constraints on floral evolution through mediating mechanisms such as resource allocation trade-offs and pollinator visitation constraints. Neotropical Gesneriaceae, with its striking floral diversity and repeated shifts among pollination syndromes provides an exceptional model to dissect these interactions. Its distribution spans almost all biomes of tropical America, exposing lineages to divergent abiotic regimes and pollinator communities, making it an ideal group to test how environmental conditions drive floral evolution. In this study, we will integrate 3D floral model reconstruction, geometric morphology and comparative phylogenetic analyses to elucidate how floral shape and color evolution in NW Gesneriaceae reflect adaptive responses to altitude and ecological variables.

Keywords

gesneriaceae, floral evolution, abiotic factors, geometric morphology, pollination syndromes

Publications

1- The genus Balanophora J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. – Its use in traditional medicine, phytochemistry, and pharmacology: A review
Mutinda, Elizabeth Syowai, Dong-Juan Zhang, Felix Wambua Muema, Elijah Mbandi Mkala, Emmanuel Nyongesa Waswa, Wyclif Ochieng Odago, Clintone Onyango Ochieng, Moses Kirega Gichua, John Kamau Muchuku, Elizabeth Kamande, Guang-Wan Hu
2024 Journal of Ethnopharmacology

2- A taxonomic revision of Cynanchum thesioides (Apocynaceae) with two new synonyms
Zhang, Cai-Fei, Dong-Juan Zhang, Miao Liao, Guang-Wan Hu
2023 PhytoKeys

3- Comparative and phylogenetic analysis of the complete chloroplast genomes of six Polygonatum species (Asparagaceae)
Zhang, Dongjuan, Jing Ren, Hui Jiang, Vincent Okelo Wanga, Xiang Dong, Guangwan Hu
2023 Scientific Reports