Assistant Professor of Plant Biology

Purdue University
Botany and Plant Pathology, Lilly Hall
915 West State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2054

Office:  WSLR B032
Phone:  (765) 494-6606
FAX:      (765) 496-1135
E-mail:   

Area: Plant Evolutionary Biology - Evolution and genetics of plant form and development, plant systematics and phylogenetic methodology, evolution of genetic networks.

Education

B.S. University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
Ph. D.  Washington State University

Research Interests

I am interested in the evolution of development.  Specifically, I am interested in how developmental pathways diversify via gene duplication events. My research draws from the strengths of several fields (genetics, development, and phylogenetics) to understand the evolution of developmentally important genes.

Gene duplications are a prevalent feature of eukaryotic genomes.  Understanding the evolution of gene duplications is important to our understanding of genetic redundancy and the evolution of new gene function.  My current research involves the investigation of two developmentally important duplicate genes that regulate male (stamens) and female (carpels) organ development in flowering plants, using the grass family as a model system.  The grasses are an excellent system because of the substantial amount of genetic, morphological, and evolutionary work that has been done on this group.  We are also extending our research to other angiosperms that have experienced similar, yet independent, duplications of key reproductive organ genes.

Teaching

BTNY 210 (Introduction to Plant Science):  Provides an introduction to basic plant biology.  Topics range from cell biology and genetic processes to an introduction to plant diversity and ecology.

BTNY 596z (Introduction to Phylogenetics): This class provides an introduction to phylogenetic methodology and provides a forum for the discussion of current research in phylogenetics.

Assistantships and Positions

Please contact me directly for information on assistantships and openings in my program. Follow these links for general information on graduate programs or employment announcements.

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Selected Publications

Whipple, C. J., Zanis, M. J., Kellogg, E. A. and Schmidt, R. S. (Submitted). Conservation of B class MADS-box gene expression in the second whorl of a basal grass and outgroups links the origin of lodicules and petals.

Zanis, M. J. (in press) Grass spikelet genetics and duplicate gene comparisons. International Journal of Plant Sciences.

Kim, S., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Zanis M. J. and Suh, Y. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships among early-diverging eudicots based on four genes: were the eudicots ancestrally woody? Mol Phylogenet Evol. 1:16-30.

Zanis, M. J., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Qiu, Y.-L. and Zimmer, E. A. 2003. Phylogenetic analyses and perianth evolution in basal angiosperms. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 90: 129-150.

Nickrent, D. L., Blarer, A., Qiu, Y.-L., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S. and Zanis, M. J. 2002. Molecular data place Hydnoraceae with Aristolochiaceae. American Journal of Botany 89: 1809-1817.

Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. E. and Zanis, M. J. 2002. Phylogeny of seed plants based on evidence from eight genes. American Journal of Botany 89: 1670-1681.

Zanis, M. J., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Mathews, S. and Donoghue, M. J. 2002. The root of the angiosperms revisited. PNAS 99: 6848-6853.

Soltis, D. E., Kuzoff, R. K., Mort, M. E., Zanis, M. J., Fishbein, M., Hufford, L., Koontz, J. and Arroyo, M. K. 2001. Elucidating deep-level phylogenetic relationships in Saxifragaceae using sequences for six chloroplastic and nuclear DNA regions. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 88: 669-693.

Qiu Y.-L., Lee, J., Bernasconi-Quadroni, F., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Zanis, M. J., Zimmer, E. A., Chen, Z., Savolainen, V. and Chase, M. W. 2000. Phylogeny of basal angiosperms:  Analysis of five genes from three genomes. International Journal of Plant Science 161: S3-S27.

Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Chase, M. W., Mort, M. E., Albach, D. C., Zanis, M. J., Savolainen, V., Hahn, W. H., Hoot, S. B., Fay, M. F., Axtell, M., Swensen, S. M., Prince, L. M., Kress, W. J., Nixon, K. C. and Farris, J. S. 2000.  Angiosperm phylogeny inferred from 18S rDNA, rbcL, and atpB sequences. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 133: 381-461.

Soltis, P. S., Soltis, D. E., Zanis, M. J. and Kim, S. 2000. Basal Lineages of Angiosperms: Relationships and Implications for Floral Evolution. International Journal of Plant Science 161: S97-S107.

Qiu, Y.-L., Lee, J., Bernasconi-Quadroni, F., Soltis, D. E., Soltis, P. S., Zanis, M. J., Zimmer, E. A., Chen, Z., Savolainen, V. and Chase, M. W. 1999.  Evidence of the Earliest angiosperms from mitochondrial, plastid and nuclear genomes. Nature 402: 404-407.

Les, D. H., Schneider, E. L., Padgett, D. J., Soltis, P. S., Soltis, D. E. and Zanis, M. J.  1999. Phylogeny, classification and floral evolution of water lilies (Nymphaeaceae; Nymphaeales): A synthesis of non-molecular, rbcL, matK, and 18S rDNA data. Systematic Botany 24: 28-46.