Zheng Li

Education

Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona (2020)

B.S., Botany, Zoology, Miami University, Oxford (2013)

Biographical Information

I study eukaryotic genome evolution and how it impacts phenotypic evolution and generates biodiversity. I am interested in using plants and insects as study systems to understand evolutionary processes, especially gene and genome duplication, chromosomal evolution, and horizontal gene transfer. My ongoing and future research aims are to investigate (1) the genomic basis of evolutionary innovations; (2) the processes of duplicate gene retention and loss; and (3) Why genome duplication is rarer in animals relative to plants.

Selected Publications

• Li Z, AZ Xue, GP Maeda, Y-Y Li, PD Nabity, NA Moran. (2023) Phylloxera and aphids show distinct features of genome evolution despite similar reproductive modes. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 40 (12), msad271.
• Li Z, Y-Y Li, AZ Xue, V Dang, VR Holmes, JS Johnston, JE Barrick, NA Moran. (2022) The genomic basis of evolutionary novelties in a leafhopper. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 39 (9), msac184.
• Li Z, MTW McKibben, GS Finch, PD Blischak, BL Sutherland, MS Barker. (2021) Patterns and processes of diploidization in land plants. Annual Review of Plant Biology, 72, 387-410.
• Li Z, MS Barker. (2020) Inferring putative ancient whole genome duplications in the 1000 Plants (1KP) initiative: access to gene family phylogenies and age distributions. GigaScience, 9 (2), giaa004.
• Li Z, Tiley GP, S Galuska, CR Reardon, TI Kidder, RJ Rundell, MS Barker. (2018) Multiple large-scale gene and genome duplications during the evolution of hexapods. PNAS, 115 (18), 4713-4718.
• Li Z, AE Baniaga, EB Sessa, M Scascitelli, SW Graham, LH Rieseberg and MS Barker. (2015) Early genome duplications in conifers and other seed plant. Science Advances, 1 (10), e1501084.

Courses Taught

• Bio 191 Plant Biology

Back to Other Directories

Cellular, Molecular, and Structural Biology Graduate Program