Dr Luke Dunning
School of Biosciences
NERC Independent Research Fellow
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- Profile
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- NERC Independent Research Fellow, University of Sheffield, UK (2020‒present)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Sheffield, UK (2015‒2020)
- Postdoctoral Research Associate, Imperial College London, UK (2013‒2014)
- PhD, University of Auckland, NZ (2014)
- MRes in Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK (2008)
- BSc in Ecology and Environmental Management, Cardiff University, UK (2007)
- Research interests
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I am an evolutionary biologist interested in understanding how organisms adapt to novel environments by combining cutting-edge genomic techniques, ecological analyses and experimental approaches. A majority of my research is currently focused on rapid adaptation in the grass family, the most economically and ecologically important group of plants.
My research has three main themes:
- The evolutionary consequences of lateral gene transfer in grasses.
- Pan-genome variation and local adaptation in grasses.
- The impact of extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA) on grass evolution.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome. Nature.
- Identifying genomic regions associated with C4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral gene transfer generates accessory genes that accumulate at different rates within a grass lineage. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Hybridisation and chloroplast capture between distinct Themeda triandra lineages in Australia. Molecular Ecology.
- Widespread lateral gene transfer among grasses. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral gene transfer acts as an evolutionary shortcut to efficient C4 biochemistry. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 37(11), 3094-3104. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral transfers of large DNA fragments spread functional genes among grasses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(10), 4416-4425. View this article in WRRO
All publications
Journal articles
- Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome. Nature.
- Identifying genomic regions associated with C4 photosynthetic activity and leaf anatomy in Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral gene transfer generates accessory genes that accumulate at different rates within a grass lineage. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Leaf anatomy explains the strength of C4 activity within the grass species Alloteropsis semialata. Plant, Cell and Environment.
- Genetic assimilation of ancestral plasticity during parallel adaptation to zinc contamination in Silene uniflora. Nature Ecology and Evolution.
- Hybridisation and chloroplast capture between distinct Themeda triandra lineages in Australia. Molecular Ecology.
- Inferring the genome-wide history of grasses. Molecular Plant.
- Upregulation of C4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass. Plant, Cell & Environment. View this article in WRRO
- Rapid parallel adaptation to anthropogenic heavy metal pollution. Molecular Biology and Evolution. View this article in WRRO
- Widespread lateral gene transfer among grasses. New Phytologist. View this article in WRRO
- Complex evolutionary history of two ecologically significant grass genera, Themeda and Heteropogon (Poaceae: Panicoideae: Andropogoneae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society.
- Contrasted histories of organelle and nuclear genomes underlying physiological diversification in a grass species. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1938). View this article in WRRO
- Lateral gene transfer acts as an evolutionary shortcut to efficient C4 biochemistry. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 37(11), 3094-3104. View this article in WRRO
- Reticulate evolution, lateral gene transfer, and innovation in plants. American Journal of Botany, 107(4), 541-544.
- Population-specific selection on standing variation generated by lateral gene transfers in a grass. Current Biology, 29. View this article in WRRO
- Ecological speciation in sympatric palms : 3. Genetic map reveals genomic islands underlying species divergence in Howea. Evolution, 73(9), 1986-1995.
- Key changes in gene expression identified for different stages of C4 evolution in Alloteropsis semialata.. Journal of Experimental Botany. View this article in WRRO
- Phylogenomics using low‐depth whole genome sequencing: a case study with the olive tribe. Molecular Ecology Resources. View this article in WRRO
- Lateral transfers of large DNA fragments spread functional genes among grasses. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(10), 4416-4425. View this article in WRRO
- C4 anatomy can evolve via a single developmental change. Ecology Letters, 22(2), 302-312. View this article in WRRO
- Contrasting phylogeographic structures between freshwater lycopods and angiosperms in the British Isles. Botany Letters, 165(3-4), 476-486. View this article in WRRO
- Gene duplication and dosage effects during the early emergence of C4 photosynthesis in the grass genus Alloteropsis. Journal of Experimental Botany, 69(8), 1967-1980. View this article in WRRO
- Highly Expressed Genes Are Preferentially Co-Opted for C4 Photosynthesis. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 35(1), 94-106. View this article in WRRO
- The recent and rapid spread of Themeda triandra. Botany Letters, 164(4), 327-337. View this article in WRRO
- Introgression and repeated co-option facilitated the recurrent emergence of C4 photosynthesis among close relatives.. Evolution, 71(6), 1541-1555. View this article in WRRO
- Genome biogeography reveals the intraspecific spread of adaptive mutations for a complex trait. Molecular Ecology, 25(24), 6107-6123. View this article in WRRO
- Substitutions in the Glycogenin-1 Gene Are Associated with the Evolution of Endothermy in Sharks and Tunas. Genome Biology and Evolution, 8(9), 3011-3021. View this article in WRRO
- Ecological speciation in sympatric palms: 1. Gene expression, selection and pleiotropy. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. View this article in WRRO
- Ecological speciation in sympatric palms: 2. Pre- and post-zygotic isolation. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. View this article in WRRO
- Evidence of positive selection associated with placental loss in tiger sharks. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 16(1). View this article in WRRO
- Parallel molecular routes to cold adaptation in eight genera of New Zealand stick insects. Scientific Reports, 5(13965). View this article in WRRO
- The Genome of the “Great Speciator” Provides Insights into Bird Diversification. Genome Biology and Evolution, 7(9), 2680-2691. View this article in WRRO
- Evaluation of genetic isolation within an island flora reveals unusually widespread local adaptation and supports sympatric speciation. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1648). View this article in WRRO
- Divergent transcriptional responses to low temperature among populations of alpine and lowland species of New Zealand stick insects (Micrarchus). Molecular Ecology, 23(11), 2712-2726.
- Overwintering in New Zealand stick insects. New Zealand Entomologist, 37(1), 35-44.
- Positive selection in glycolysis among Australasian stick insects. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 13(1). View this article in WRRO
- Identification of cold-responsive genes in a New Zealand alpine stick insect using RNA-Seq. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part D: Genomics and Proteomics, 8(1), 24-31.
- Using functional traits and phylogenetic trees to examine the assembly of tropical tree communities. Journal of Ecology, 100(3), 690-701.
- A new species of Vallisneria L. for Western Australia and recircumscription of V. triptera S.W.L.Jacobs & K.Frank. Telopea, 27.
- C4 photosynthesis provided an immediate demographic advantage to populations of the grass Alloteropsis semialata. New Phytologist.
- Morphological and genetic evidence suggest gene flow among native and naturalized mint species. American Journal of Botany.
- Alloteropsis semialata as a study system for C4 evolution in grasses. Annals of Botany.
- Extrachromosomal circular DNA as a vehicle to gene transfer in plants. Plant Physiology.
- The mechanisms underpinning lateral gene transfer between grasses. PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET.
- C4 trees have broader niches than their close C3 relatives. Journal of Experimental Botany.
- Low dispersal and ploidy differences in a grass maintain photosynthetic diversity despite gene flow and habitat overlap. Molecular Ecology.
- Broad-scale amplification of matK for DNA barcoding plants, a technical note. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 164(1), 1-9.
Chapters
- Population Genomics Advances and Opportunities in Conservation of Kiwi (Apteryx spp.), Population Genomics Springer International Publishing
Preprints
- Nuclear phylogenomics of grasses (Poaceae) supports current classification and reveals repeated reticulation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Plastic responses to past environments shape adaptation to novel selection pressures, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Identifying leaf anatomy and metabolic regulators that underpin C4photosynthesis inAlloteropsis semialata, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Variation in the rate lateral gene transfers accumulate in a grass lineage, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Inter-specific gene flow following the naturalization of a cultivated mint promotes the formation of a coalescent complex, Authorea.
- Genetic assimilation of ancestral plasticity during parallel adaptation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Hybridisation and chloroplast capture between ancient Themeda triandra ecotypes in Australia, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Upregulation of C4 characteristics does not consistently improve photosynthetic performance in intraspecific hybrids of a grass, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Low dispersal and recurrent polyploidization in a grass maintain photosynthetic diversity despite gene flow and habitat overlap, Authorea, Inc..
- Rapid Parallel Adaptation to Anthropogenic Heavy Metal Pollution, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- Origin and evolution of the bread wheat D genome. Nature.
- Research group
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Postdoctoral Research Associates:
- Dr Lara Pereira
- Dr William Brightly (NSF fellow - Co-supervised)
Technicians:- Dr Emily Bailes
PhD Students:- Ahmed Alenazi
- Catherine Collins
- George Hirons-Alecrim
- Noah Bourne
- Abdullah Alshehri
- Kanyanat Kasetsuntorn (Co-supervised)
- Violette Petter (Co-supervised)
Masters Students:
- Emily Baker (MBiolSci)