Shelly Gaynor
@shellygaynor.bsky.social
NSF Postdoc Fellow with U of Michigan | PhD from UF I polyploidy evolution + Botany | https://mlgaynor.com/
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
The @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks!
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
December 4, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The @mortonarboretum.bsky.social NSF REU program is open for summer 2026! $7500 stipend + housing / travel. Apply by 31 Jan 2026 and share with your networks!
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
Details at https://mortonarb.org/science/opportunities-in-science/research-experiences-for-undergraduates-program/
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
@phylieu.bsky.social & I have a new preprint out: "Statistical and structural bias in birth-death models" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
It's NOT a "the sky is falling in div methods again" but estimates can be biased, and that can happen in small clades even on big trees (MiSSE, Clads, BAMM)
1/2
It's NOT a "the sky is falling in div methods again" but estimates can be biased, and that can happen in small clades even on big trees (MiSSE, Clads, BAMM)
1/2
December 4, 2025 at 5:59 PM
@phylieu.bsky.social & I have a new preprint out: "Statistical and structural bias in birth-death models" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
It's NOT a "the sky is falling in div methods again" but estimates can be biased, and that can happen in small clades even on big trees (MiSSE, Clads, BAMM)
1/2
It's NOT a "the sky is falling in div methods again" but estimates can be biased, and that can happen in small clades even on big trees (MiSSE, Clads, BAMM)
1/2
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Pro tip (and subtweeting that Atlantic article without giving them views): the more inclusive one’s course design, the more everyone can benefit (including those with needs but without the resources to get a formal diagnosis, which is likely a big population).
December 3, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Pro tip (and subtweeting that Atlantic article without giving them views): the more inclusive one’s course design, the more everyone can benefit (including those with needs but without the resources to get a formal diagnosis, which is likely a big population).
Want to use nQuack, but would rather use a VCF file? New tutorial on how to do just that: mlgaynor.com/nQuack/artic...
Duck Waddle GIF
ALT: Duck Waddle GIF
media.tenor.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Want to use nQuack, but would rather use a VCF file? New tutorial on how to do just that: mlgaynor.com/nQuack/artic...
Holiday trees are up in the @soltislab.bsky.social!
December 1, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Holiday trees are up in the @soltislab.bsky.social!
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Big bluestem has been a lovely and complex system to work with for the majority of my PhD and will always have a piece of my heart! Very excited to share this work with the community.
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
The origins and adaptive consequences of polyploidy in a dominant prairie grass
Polyploidy is ubiquitous across North American prairies, which provide essential ecosystem services and rich soil for agriculture. Yet the mechanism driving polyploid abundance is unclear. Multiple hy...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Big bluestem has been a lovely and complex system to work with for the majority of my PhD and will always have a piece of my heart! Very excited to share this work with the community.
Excited to cite this paper!
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
The origins and adaptive consequences of polyploidy in a dominant prairie grass
Polyploidy is ubiquitous across North American prairies, which provide essential ecosystem services and rich soil for agriculture. Yet the mechanism driving polyploid abundance is unclear. Multiple hy...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Excited to cite this paper!
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
The origins and adaptive consequences of polyploidy in a dominant prairie grass
Polyploidy is ubiquitous across North American prairies, which provide essential ecosystem services and rich soil for agriculture. Yet the mechanism driving polyploid abundance is unclear. Multiple hy...
www.biorxiv.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Super proud of @alyssa-phillips.bsky.social 's paper, now out on biorxiv! She resolves the origin(s) of polyploid big blue-stem, a dominant species in the midwest tall-grass prairie. Her common garden analysis also informs on environmental adaptation and hints at the impacts of polyploidy.
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
The frequency and importance of polyploidy in tropical rainforest tree radiations
Schley et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Schley et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 25, 2025 at 8:43 PM
The frequency and importance of polyploidy in tropical rainforest tree radiations
Schley et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Schley et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Exciting new paper on polyploidy in the tropical tree genus Inga. Congratulations @rschley.bsky.social !
November 25, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Exciting new paper on polyploidy in the tropical tree genus Inga. Congratulations @rschley.bsky.social !
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
🌿Excited to share our new study in New Phytologist! 🌿
Polyploidy is a major force in plant evolution, but is understudied in the tropics. We find that polyploidy evolved multiple times in Inga, a characteristic Neotropical tree radiation (1/n) 🧵.
Full paper🔗: tinyurl.com/msnffhs8
Polyploidy is a major force in plant evolution, but is understudied in the tropics. We find that polyploidy evolved multiple times in Inga, a characteristic Neotropical tree radiation (1/n) 🧵.
Full paper🔗: tinyurl.com/msnffhs8
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
🌿Excited to share our new study in New Phytologist! 🌿
Polyploidy is a major force in plant evolution, but is understudied in the tropics. We find that polyploidy evolved multiple times in Inga, a characteristic Neotropical tree radiation (1/n) 🧵.
Full paper🔗: tinyurl.com/msnffhs8
Polyploidy is a major force in plant evolution, but is understudied in the tropics. We find that polyploidy evolved multiple times in Inga, a characteristic Neotropical tree radiation (1/n) 🧵.
Full paper🔗: tinyurl.com/msnffhs8
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Moreover, we find that polyploid species have more loci under positive selection, particularly in genes relating to chemical defence against herbivores, a key ecological pressure on tropical trees 🐛
@newphyt.bsky.social
#PlantScience #Evolution #TropicalBiology #Genomics #Polyploidy
@newphyt.bsky.social
#PlantScience #Evolution #TropicalBiology #Genomics #Polyploidy
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Moreover, we find that polyploid species have more loci under positive selection, particularly in genes relating to chemical defence against herbivores, a key ecological pressure on tropical trees 🐛
@newphyt.bsky.social
#PlantScience #Evolution #TropicalBiology #Genomics #Polyploidy
@newphyt.bsky.social
#PlantScience #Evolution #TropicalBiology #Genomics #Polyploidy
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Very happy to share that this paper is now online on @currentbiology.bsky.social !! 🥳🧪 Check out the final published verion here: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#mimuluspropaganda
#mimuluspropaganda
November 24, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Very happy to share that this paper is now online on @currentbiology.bsky.social !! 🥳🧪 Check out the final published verion here: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#mimuluspropaganda
#mimuluspropaganda
New paper just posted with @rschley.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... (1/n)
The frequency and importance of polyploidy in tropical rainforest tree radiations
The presence of two or more copies of the genome in an organism, termed ‘polyploidy’, is a crucial force in plant evolution, generating genetic, phenotypic and ecological diversity. The Amazonian tr...
doi.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:30 PM
New paper just posted with @rschley.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... (1/n)
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Annual Mabel with a Lego PacBio Sequencer. This time the Vega, but we also have the Revio and Sequel Lego edition.
November 22, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Annual Mabel with a Lego PacBio Sequencer. This time the Vega, but we also have the Revio and Sequel Lego edition.
Annual Mabel with a Lego PacBio Sequencer. This time the Vega, but we also have the Revio and Sequel Lego edition.
November 22, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Annual Mabel with a Lego PacBio Sequencer. This time the Vega, but we also have the Revio and Sequel Lego edition.
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Hang in there! Hurricanes have driven the evolution of introduced brown anole lizards in the southeastern United States, selecting for longer limbs and larger toepads that improve survival during high winds at sites with frequent hurricanes. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/iTrV50XuP7A
November 21, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Hang in there! Hurricanes have driven the evolution of introduced brown anole lizards in the southeastern United States, selecting for longer limbs and larger toepads that improve survival during high winds at sites with frequent hurricanes. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/iTrV50XuP7A
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
We are recruiting field technicians to contribute to a field study of adaptation to climate in Chamaecrista fasciculata in Raleigh/Chapel Hill, NC. My collaborators at UGA will soon post similar positions in Ithaca, NY and Archbold Biological Station, FL. Please share jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/225...
Temporary Plant Evolutionary Ecology Field Technician
The Sheth plant evolutionary ecology lab in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC) is currently seeking field technician to participate in an NS...
jobs.ncsu.edu
November 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
We are recruiting field technicians to contribute to a field study of adaptation to climate in Chamaecrista fasciculata in Raleigh/Chapel Hill, NC. My collaborators at UGA will soon post similar positions in Ithaca, NY and Archbold Biological Station, FL. Please share jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/225...
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Our lab from @HHMINEWS & @UCBerkeley is looking for undergrads to come for an internship!
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience | HHMI
The Cech Fellows Program is a paid, nine-week summer research experience empowering the next generation of scientific leaders.
www.hhmi.org
November 20, 2025 at 1:59 AM
Our lab from @HHMINEWS & @UCBerkeley is looking for undergrads to come for an internship!
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
www.hhmi.org/programs/cec...
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Proud to share the preprint for some of my postdoctoral work in developing a high-throughput sequencing screen to find apomixis in plants. We sequenced 55 apple genotypes maintained by the USDA and over 1200 of their embryos. 🍎
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org
November 14, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Proud to share the preprint for some of my postdoctoral work in developing a high-throughput sequencing screen to find apomixis in plants. We sequenced 55 apple genotypes maintained by the USDA and over 1200 of their embryos. 🍎
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Is your school mascot genome-sequenced? 🧬
If not… maybe it’s time! 👀🧬
Big news from UCSC — researchers have just completed the first end-to-end reference genome of the Pacific banana slug 🐌🍌, an iconic resident of California’s redwood forests (and UCSC’s beloved mascot 🌲).
@ucsantacruz.bsky.social
If not… maybe it’s time! 👀🧬
Big news from UCSC — researchers have just completed the first end-to-end reference genome of the Pacific banana slug 🐌🍌, an iconic resident of California’s redwood forests (and UCSC’s beloved mascot 🌲).
@ucsantacruz.bsky.social
November 13, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Is your school mascot genome-sequenced? 🧬
If not… maybe it’s time! 👀🧬
Big news from UCSC — researchers have just completed the first end-to-end reference genome of the Pacific banana slug 🐌🍌, an iconic resident of California’s redwood forests (and UCSC’s beloved mascot 🌲).
@ucsantacruz.bsky.social
If not… maybe it’s time! 👀🧬
Big news from UCSC — researchers have just completed the first end-to-end reference genome of the Pacific banana slug 🐌🍌, an iconic resident of California’s redwood forests (and UCSC’s beloved mascot 🌲).
@ucsantacruz.bsky.social
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
New paper published together with John Welch on hybrid fitness and how it depends on ploidy and # of distinct ancestries, incl some remarkable fits of data & theory 😶. Keen to hear any thoughts/comments/questions! doi.org/10.1093/gene... Thanks to the team @ Genetics for the smooth experience :)
Predicting Hybrid Fitness: The Effects of Ploidy and Complex Ancestry
Abstract. Hybridization between divergent populations places alleles in novel genomic contexts. This can inject adaptive variation – which is useful for br
doi.org
November 9, 2025 at 1:04 PM
New paper published together with John Welch on hybrid fitness and how it depends on ploidy and # of distinct ancestries, incl some remarkable fits of data & theory 😶. Keen to hear any thoughts/comments/questions! doi.org/10.1093/gene... Thanks to the team @ Genetics for the smooth experience :)
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
GitHub - hadley/genzplyr: dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap
dplyr but make it bussin fr fr no cap. Contribute to hadley/genzplyr development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Do you teach #rstats? Do your students complain about how lame and old-fashioned dplyr is? Don't worry: I have the solution for you: github.com/hadley/genzp....
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
genzplyr is dplyr, but bussin fr fr no cap.
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje
October 30, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Here's my latest contribution to the "Lost Science" series at the New York Times: Jay Falk, a scientist who studies why some female hummingbirds look just like males. Gift link: nyti.ms/4qF7Qje
Reposted by Shelly Gaynor
This is one of my favorite webinar series. Working on polyploidy? Sign-up to give a talk!
If you are a grad student or postdoc, this is a really great opportunity to get feedback and connect with others.
If you are a grad student or postdoc, this is a really great opportunity to get feedback and connect with others.
The #PolyploidyWebinar series is back for another season! 🧬 Join us for talks at 9AM Pacific on the second Thursday of each month. Are you working on something exciting in polyploidy? We'd love to have you speak! Sign up for open dates at the link below. Looking forward to the great research ahead!
Polyploidy Webinar Speaker Signup 25-26
docs.google.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:20 AM
This is one of my favorite webinar series. Working on polyploidy? Sign-up to give a talk!
If you are a grad student or postdoc, this is a really great opportunity to get feedback and connect with others.
If you are a grad student or postdoc, this is a really great opportunity to get feedback and connect with others.