David Moeller

Research Interests

Research in my lab examines the processes that promote and limit adaptive evolution at the phenotypic and molecular level.  I have been particularly interested in how broad-scale spatial and temporal variation in ecological factors influence phenotypic evolution and molecular evolution of genes that underlie ecologically-important traits.  I am currently pursuing research on topics including: (1) the evolution of species’ geographic ranges including studies ranging from field ecology to molecular evolutionary genetics, (2) evolution and ecology of reproductive isolation between recently diverged plant taxa, (3) mating system and floral evolution, and (4) evolution of endemism in temperate forest herbs and the conservation of narrowly distributed plant species.  Outside of these projects, I maintain research on the ecology and evolution of species interactions including plant-pollinator and plant-herbivore interactions. 

Selected Publications

Goodwillie, C., R. Sargent, C.G Eckert, E. Elle, M.A. Geber , M.O Johnston, S. Kalisz, D.A. Moeller, R.H. Ree, M. Vallejo-Marin, A. Winn. 2009  Correlated evolution of mating system and floral display traits in flowering plants and its implications for the distribution of mating system variation. New Phytologist, in press.

Eckert, C.G., S. Kalisz,  M.A. Geber , R. Sargent, E. Elle, P.-O. Cheptou, C. Goodwillie, M.O. Johnston, J.K. Kelly, D.A. Moeller, E. Porcher, R.H. Ree, M. Vallejo-Marin, A. Winn. 2009. Plant mating systems in a changing world. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, in press.

Johnston, M.O., E. Porcher, P.-O. Cheptou, C.G. Eckert, E. Elle, M.A. Geber, S. Kalisz, J.K. Kelly, D.A. Moeller, M. Vallejo-Marin, A. Winn. 2008. Correlations among fertility components can maintain mixed mating in plants. American Naturalist, 173: 1-11.

Moeller, D.A. & P. Tiffin. 2008. Geographic variation in adaptation at the molecular level: A case study of plant immunity genes. Evolution, 62: 3069-3081.

Moeller, D.A., M.I. Tenaillon, & P. Tiffin. 2007. Population structure and its effects on patterns of nucleotide polymorphism in teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis). Genetics, 176: 1799-1809.

Tiffin, P. & D.A. Moeller. 2006. Molecular evolution of plant immune system genes. 
Trends in Genetics, 22: 662-670.

Moeller, D.A.  2006. Geographic structure of pollinator communities, reproductive
assurance, and the evolution of self-pollination. Ecology, 87: 1510-1522.

Geber, M.A. & D.A. Moeller. 2006. Pollinator responses to plant communities and implications for reproductive character evolution; in L.D. Harder and S.C.H. Barrett, eds. Ecology and Evolution of Flowers, pp. 102-119. Oxford University Press.

Moeller, D.A. & P. Tiffin. 2005. Genetic diversity and the evolutionary history of plant immunity genes in two species of Zea.  Molecular Biology and Evolution 22: 2480-2490.

Moeller, D.A. & M.A. Geber. 2005. Ecological context of the evolution of self-pollination in Clarkia xantiana: population size, plant communities, and reproductive assurance.  Evolution  59: 786-799.

Moeller, D.A. 2005. Pollinator community structure and sources of spatial variation in plant-pollinator interactions in Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana.  Oecologia  142: 28-37.

Moeller, D.A. 2004. Facilitative interactions among plants via shared pollinators.
Ecology  85: 3289-3301.