Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Genetics Ph.D. (1995) Duke University Associate Editor, PLoS Genetics Associate Editor, BMC Genetics Member, University of Georgia Teaching Academy Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award, Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, University of Georgia, 2006 Richard B. Russell Teaching Award, University of Georgia, 2005 Sandy Beaver Excellence in Teaching Award, Franklin College, University of Georgia, 2004 Outstanding Advisor Award, Franklin College, University of Georgia, 2003 Lilly Teaching Fellow, 2000-2002 American Society of Naturalists’ Young Investigators’ Prize, 1998 Grant Support - “Evolutionary Genetics of Senna," Traditional Medicinals Foundation "Evolutionary Genetics of a Sinai Desert Endemic," Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau Research Interests - Ecological genetics sits at the crossroads of evolutionary biology, ecology, field biology, experimental design, molecular genetics, natural history and genomics. A significant and exciting challenge in this new world of "-omics sciences" is understanding how genetic variation is relevant to organisms living their lives out in Nature. The students in my lab and I are interested in an array of topics in ecological genetics, although we are mainly interested in the evolutionary genetics of invasive plants and in basic questions on the evolution of traits that we can show are ecologically relevant to organisms in the field. Our approach is to integrate field experiments with genetic techniques to learn the fitness effects of traits and the selective histories of the genes that underlie these traits. Our work on invasives focuses on species exchanged between the U.S. and Asia, particularly China. Students in my lab are intellectually independent and encouraged to explore any variety of interesting questions. Research Research Areas: Evolutionary Genetics Selected Publications Selected Publications: Bentley, K.E. and R. Mauricio. 2016. High degree of clonal reproduction and lack of large-scale geographic patterning mark the introduced range of the invasive vine, kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata), in North America. American Journal of Botany 103: 1499-1507. Hoffberg, S.L., T. Kieran, J. Catchen, A. Devault, B. Faircloth, R. Mauricio and T. Glenn. 2016. RADcap: Sequence capture of dual-digest RADseq libraries with identifiable duplicates and reduced missing data. Molecular Ecology Resources 16: 1264-1278. Zaghloul, M.S., A. A. Moustafa, R. Mauricio and H.M.H. Mansour. 2016. Evolution and conservation of Sinai's primrose (Primula boveana): an endangered pre-glacial relict species growing on Sinai Mountain, Egypt. Bio-Genetics Journal 4: 56-72. Bentley, K.E., K.R. Berryman, M. Hopper, S.L. Hoffberg, K.E. Myhre, K. Iwao, J.B. Lee, T.C. Glenn and R. Mauricio. 2015. Eleven microsatellites for an emerging invader, Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae), from its native and introduced ranges. Applications in Plant Sciences 3(3): 1500002. doi:10.3732/apps.1500002. Dahn, H.A., J.B. Lee, K.E. Bentley, T.C. Glenn and R. Mauricio. 2015. Development of 12 novel microsatellite loci for invasive Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) from its introduced range. Conservation Genetics Resources 7: 467-469. Hoffberg, S.L., K.E. Bentley, J.B. Lee, K.E. Myhre, K. Iwao, T.C. Glenn and R. Mauricio. 2015. Characterization of 15 microsatellite loci in kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) from the native and introduced ranges. Conservation Genetics Resources 7: 403-405. Koelling, V., J.L. Hamrick and R. Mauricio. Genetic diversity and structure in two species of Leavenworthia with self-incompatible and self-compatible populations. Heredity 106: 310-318. Koelling, V. and R. Mauricio. 2010. Genetic factors associated with mating system cause a partial reproductive barrier between two parapatric species of Leavenworthia (Brassicaceae). American Journal of Botany 97: 412-422. Richards, C.L., S.N. White, M.A. McGuire, S.J. Franks, L.A. Donovan and R. Mauricio. 2009. Plasticity, not adaptation to salt level, explains variation along a salinity gradient in a salt marsh perennial. Estuaries and Coasts. DOI 10.1007/s12237-009-9186-4. Baucom, R.S. and R. Mauricio. 2008. Constraints on the evolution of tolerance to herbicide in the common morning glory: resistance and tolerance are mutually exclusive. Evolution 68: 2842-2854. Baucom, R.S. and R. Mauricio. 2008. The evolution of novel herbicide tolerance in a noxious weed: the geographic mosaic of selection. Evolutionary Ecology 22: 85-101. Mauricio, R. (editor), 2005. The Genetics of Adaptation. Springer, Dordrecht. Mauricio, R. 2005. Ontogenetics of QTL: the genetic architecture of trichome density over time in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetica 123: 75-85. Malmberg, R.L., S. Held, A. Waits and R. Mauricio. 2005. Epistasis for fitness-related quantitative traits in Arabidopsis thaliana grown in the field and greenhouse. Genetics 171: 2013-2027. Mauricio, R. 2005. Can ecology help genomics: the genome as ecosystem? Genetica 123: 205-209. Malmberg, R.L. and R. Mauricio. 2005. QTL-based evidence for the role of epistasis in evolution. Genetical Research 86: 89-95. Jörgensen, S. and R. Mauricio. 2005. Hybridization as a source of evolutionary novelty: leaf shape in a Hawaiian composite. Genetica 123: 171-179. Richards, C.L., J.L. Hamrick, L.A. Donovan and R. Mauricio. 2004. Unexpectedly high clonal diversity of two salt marsh perennials across a severe environmental gradient. Ecology Letters 7: 1155-1162. Baucom, R.S. and R. Mauricio. 2004. Fitness costs and benefits of novel herbicide tolerance in a noxious weed. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 101: 13386-13390. Jörgensen, S. and R. Mauricio. 2004. Neutral genetic variation among wild North American populations of the weedy plant Arabidopsis thaliana is not geographically structured. Molecular Ecology 13: 3403-3413. Mauricio, R., E.A. Stahl, T. Korves, D. Tian, M. Kreitman and J. Bergelson. 2003. Natural selection for polymorphism in the disease resistance gene Rps2 of Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetics 163: 735-746. Stinchcombe, J.R., M.T. Rutter, D.S. Burdick, P. Tiffin, M.D. Rausher, and R. Mauricio. 2002. Testing for environmentally induced bias in phenotypic estimates of natural selection: theory and practice. American Naturalist 160: 511-523. Mauricio, R. 2001. Mapping quantitative trait loci in plants: uses and caveats for evolutionary biology. Nature Reviews Genetics 2: 370-381. Mauricio, R. 2000. Natural selection and the joint evolution of tolerance and resistance as plant defenses. Evolutionary Ecology 14: 491-507. Stahl, E.A., G. Dwyer, R. Mauricio, M. Kreitman and J. Bergelson. 1999. Dynamics of disease resistance polymorphism at the Rpm1 locus of Arabidopsis. Nature 400: 667-671. Mauricio, R. 1998. Costs of resistance to natural enemies in field populations of the annual plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. American Naturalist 151: 20-28. Mauricio, R. and M.D. Rausher. 1997. Experimental manipulation of putative selective agents provides evidence for the role of natural enemies in the evolution of plant defense. Evolution 51: 1435-1444. Mauricio, R., M.D. Rausher and D.S. Burdick. 1997. Variation in the defense strategies of plants: are resistance and tolerance mutually exclusive? Ecology 78: 1301-1310.
