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Research Interests

My research is at the interface of quantitative genetics, population genomics and bioinformatics. I use these tools to address key ecological and evolutionary questions from multiple perspectives with a particular interest in domestication, adaptation, conservation, and speciation. Much of my work focuses on identifying the genetic changes that underlie the formation of new species or varieties, and more generally, the genetic basis of novel phenotypes. Currently, I am using sunflowers (Helianthus), mustard (Brassica) and chocolate (Theobroma) as model systems to pursue these research questions. In all three genera, I am examining how hybridization has shaped evolution, including the origin of new hybrid species, the breeding of modern lineages of domesticated plants, and the spread of invasive species.

Selected Publications

Kane NC, Marek L, Burke JM, Seiler G, Rieseberg LH. 2013. Sunflower genetic, genomic and ecological resources. Molecular Ecology Resources13:10-20. (Cover illustration)

Renaut S, Grassa CJ, Yeaman S, Moyers BT, Lai Z, Kane NC, Bowers JE, Burke JM, Rieseberg LH. 2013. Number and size of genomic islands of differentiation do not vary with geography of speciation. Nature Communications 4:1827.

Sveinsson S, Gill N, Kane NC, Cronk Q. 2013. Transposon fingerprinting using low coverage whole genome shotgun sequencing in Cacao (Theobroma cacaoL.) and related species. BMC Genomics14:502.

Andrew RL, Bernatchez L, Bonin A, Carstens BC, Emerson BC, Garant D, Giraud T, Kane, NC, et al. 2013. A roadmap for molecular ecology. Molecular Ecology22:2605-2626.

Andrew RL, Kane NC, Baute GJ, Grassa CJ, Rieseberg LH. 2013. Recent non-hybrid origin of sunflower ecotypes in a novel habitat. Molecular Ecology. 22:799-813.

Kane NC, Sveinsoon S, Dempewolf H, Yang JY, Zhang D, Engels JMM, Cronk, Q. 2012. Ultra-barcoding in cacao using whole chloroplast genomes and nuclear ribosomal DNA. American Journal of Botany 99:320-329.

Blackman BK, Scascitelli M, Kane NC, Luton H, Bye RA, Lentz DL, Rieseberg LH. 2011. Sunflower domestication alleles support single domestication center in eastern North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 34:14360-14365.

Kane NC, Zhan S, Barker MS, Rieseberg LH. 2011. Molecular evolution across the Asteraceae: micro- and macroevolutionary processes. Molecular Biology and Evolution 28:32253235.

Mayrose M, Kane NC, Mayrose I, Rieseberg LH. 2011. Increased vigour in sunflower correlates with reduced defenses and altered gene expression during biotic and abiotic stress responses. Molecular Ecology20:4683-4694.

Kane NC, Gill N, King MG, Bowers JE, Berges H, Gouzy J, Bachlava E, Langlade NB, Lai Z, Stewart M, Burke JM, Vincourt P, Knapp SJ, Rieseberg LH. 2011. Progress towards a reference genome for sunflower.Botany89:429-437.

Strasburg JL, Kane NC, Radusk AR, Bonin A., Kozik A, Michelmore R, Rieseberg LH. 2011. Effective population size is strongly correlated with rates of adaptive divergence among annual sunflowers. Molecular Biology and Evolution28:1569-1580. Faculty of 1000, http://f1000.com/10407956, http://f1000.com/10407956