In order to perceive attack by herbivores and pathogens and subsequently mount appropriate defensive regimes, plants rely on a variety of protein receptors that recognize and initiate responses to damage, pathogen, and herbivory associated molecular patterns (DAMPs, PAMPs, and HAMPs, respectively). Although DAMPs and PAMPs have been studied extensively, the first HAMP-receptor pair was only recently discovered. The inceptin receptor (INR) discovered in cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) binds to inceptin, a small peptide and potent HAMP found in the oral secretions of Lepidopteran caterpillars, promptly eliciting an immune response leading to enhanced resistance against herbivory. In order to further characterize the structure and function of INR, I am developing a fluorescent reporter for use in Nicotiana benthamiana, a model organism that normally lacks INR. Expression of the fluorescent protein mScarlet will be driven by putative promoters of genes found to be upregulated in response to inceptin binding to heterologously expressed INR in N. benthamiana. Transfer of this reporter system into N. benthamiana via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation will allow fluorescence to act as a reporter of INR function by generating quantifiable fluorescence in the presence of inceptin binding functional INR. By simultaneously transforming wild-type N. benthamiana plants with the reporter and mutagenized variants of INR, key domains and residues for the recognition of inceptin by INR and subsequent activation of plant defense will be elucidated. This will identify key structural and functional aspects of INR that will inform engineering practices for enhancing crop resistance to herbivory.

Genetic data provide important insights into evolutionary relationships within and between species, and are especially useful for studying morphologically cryptic species (species that are visually indistinguishable from one another). I investigated the identity of an unstudied population of Sceloporus lizards from the Laramie mountain range of Wyoming. This population occurs at a boundary between the recorded distributions of S. tristichus and S. consobrinus. These species are morphologically cryptic, so molecular methods are necessary for accurate species determination. In collaboration with the Wyoming Fish and Game Department (WFGD), I conducted molecular genetics work on 10 samples, including extraction of DNA and PCR amplification of the ND1 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Genetic divergence between populations of S. tristichus in western Wyoming (Sweetwater) and the Laramie Range is over 8%. Genetic diversity between a population of S. consobrinus from the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and the Laramie population is low (0.15%). I performed a phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood in the program RAxML and the population from the Laramie range is placed in a clade with S. consobrinus. Sceloporus consobrinus is currently not in the State Species Index for Wyoming, yet this result provides support for their addition. Before confirming that this population is S. consobrinus, additional phylogenetic analyses must be done. Previous studies of lizards in this genus have revealed discordance between gene trees made from mtDNA and nuclear DNA (nDNA) for populations occupying boundary zones between species. Therefore, current research aims to check for discordance or agreement between the nuclear genome and mtDNA gene tree.

Ceratophora is an endangered genus of lizards endemic to Sri Lanka containing five species. Of them, Ceratophora aspera has the widest distribution spanning the lowland and montane rainforests of Southwestern Sri Lanka. Very little is known about the ecology, population biologyand natural history of C. aspera, although this rainforest dwelling species can serve as a precedent for many more conservation and management projects. The goal of this project is to assess the genetic diversity within and among populations, and determine the phylogenetic relationships among the populations. During the 2018 and 2019 field seasons, tail clippings were collected from lizards that were captured in the wild. In the University of Washington's Biology Department, DNA sequencing of mitochondrial DNA is being used for an initial screening of genetic diversity, followed by the acquisition of genomic information using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data. Together these data are enabling us to model the relationships between geography and genetics to visualize where populations are connected and fragmented. Preliminary analysis suggests that there is low intrapopulation diversity (<0.1%), while the highest interpopulation diversity is 3.8%. Furthermore, the phylogeny supports two main clades indicating that population structuring corresponds to the two main forest complexes, the Sinharaja Forest Complex and the KDN (Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya) complex. Each of these forest complexes were historically entirely forested but are now composed of forest patches. Restoring forest landscapes and reestablishing metapopulation and genetic diversity across the landscape and locations of migration barriers and corridors, provides necessary information for effective conservation management of this species and others like it. 

The lack of intimacy has long been known to contribute significantly to our mental health and psychosocial adjustment. Empirical research has substantiated strong connections between the fear of intimacy and other mental health problems such as depression. One could expect that the fear of intimacy poses as an obstacle to forming intimate relationships. The lack of such intimate relationships causes the individual to feel lonely and precedes a negative cognition as seen in depressed patients. Many other psychotherapy patients, too, experience intimacy deficits. Not much research has delineated the mechanisms underlying fear of intimacy. Specifically, when we say that we fear intimacy, what do we really mean? In this exploratory research, we are investigating how dyads with different levels of intimacy can possibly interact with each other to derive a certain level of connectedness within the relationship. For example, it is possible that both individuals with high fear of intimacy can still connect well with each other and form a close relationship. What then, in this scenario, is causing the relationship to work? For individuals with different levels of fear of intimacy (i.e., one high, one low), what should we expect to see in terms of connectedness within the dyadic relationship? In this research, we investigate these issues in a sample of 35 dyads (people in ongoing relationships, including friendships, family, and romantic partners) who were recruited for a larger intervention study to improve relationships. We attempt to integrate our findings with what is known from social psychology about relational functioning to explain the interaction of different levels of fear of intimacy within the dyadic relationship. This research advocates the importance of early screening of individuals' fear of intimacy and raising awareness for those at risk of difficult dyadic relationships.