Matthew Farnitano

Variation in nature relies on reproductive isolation between populations and species. Reproductive isolation can be measured directly, through crossing barriers and fitness, as well as indirectly through rates of hybridization in the wild. I am interested in how reproductive isolation varies across different scales, using Mimulus monkeyflowers as a model system. I aim to use patterns of reproductive isolation and hybridization in these wildflowers to better understand the formation and persistence of new species.