Matt Olson

Research Interests

I study genetic and morphological diversity in plants to gain insight into forces generating genetic differentiation in natural systems. Members of our lab use a variety of methods to understand intraspecific diversity including common gardens,experimental field studies, genetic crossing studies, DNA sequence analyses, and coalescent modeling. Our field studies include sites at in Alaska, Saskatchewan, Canada, the Allegheny Mountains of Virginia, and theCzech Republic. Currently we have 2 main research projects:

1)  Latitudinal and local adaptation in Poplar trees

2)  The evolution of cytoplasmic male sterility in plants, especially Silene vulgaris

 The results of our research are essential for developing new genetic resources for tree breeding,for understanding the complexities of the co-evolutionary dynamics ofmitochondrial and nuclear genes, and for prediction of evolutionary change and migration during long term climate fluctuations. 

We are on the lookout for people at all levels of education (undergraduate, graduate and postdoc) that are interested in joining our team. To learn more about opportunities for postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate student support contact me by email.

Selected Publications

• Keller, S.R., R.Y. Soolanayakanahally, R.D. Guy, S. Salim, M.S. Olson, and P. Tiffin. 2011. Climate-driven local adaptation of ecophysiology and phenology in balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera L. Salicaceae. American Journal of Botany 98:99-108.
• Olson M.S., A. L. Robertson, N. Takebayashi, S. Silim,W. R. Schroeder and P. Tiffin. 2010. Nucleotide diversity and linkage disequilibrium in Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera). New Phytologist 186:526-536.
• Keller, S.R., M.S. Olson, S. Salim, W. R. Schroeder, and P. Tiffin. 2010. Genetic diversity, population structure, and migration following rapid range expansion in the balsam poplar, Populus balsamifera. Molecular Ecology 19:1212-1226.
• Miyake, K. and M.S. Olson. 2009. Experimental evidence for frequency dependent self fertilization in gynodioecious plant, Silene vulgaris. Evolution 63:1644-1652 
• McCauley, D.E. and M. S. Olson. 2008. Do recent findings in plant mitochondrial and population genetics have implications for the study of gynodioecy and cytonuclear conflict? Evolution 62:1013-1025. 
• Štorchová H. and M. S. Olson. 2007. The architecture of the chloroplast trnH-psbA non-coding region in angiosperms. Plant Systematics and Evolution. 268:235-256. 
• Moyle, L.C., M. S. Olson, and P. Tiffin. 2004. Patterns of reproductive isolation in three angiosperm genera. Evolution 58:1195-1208.
• Olson, M. S. and D. E. McCauley. 2002. Mitochondrial DNA diversity, population structure, and gender association in the gynodioecious plant Silene vulgaris. Evolution, 56:253-262.
• Tiffin, P., M.S. Olson, and L.C. Moyle. 2001. The genetics of reproductive isolation: asymmetric crossing barriers in Angiosperms. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B, 268: 861-867.
• Olson, M.S. 1997. Bayesian procedures for discriminating among hypotheses with discrete distributions: Inheritance in the tetraploid Astilbe biternata. Genetics 147: 1933-1942.