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Jan Barber, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Biology

Associate Dean
College of Arts & Sciences


Courses Taught

Economic Botany, Spring Flora of the Ozarks, Field Botany

Education

Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin 

Research Interests

Barber is interested in evolutionary relationships among flowering plants and how those relationships help to understand biological processes. Research in his lab uses molecular phylogenetic methods to reconstruct the evolutionary history of groups of plants. These tools can give insight into diverse evolutionary patterns and processes such as hybridization, chromosomal evolution, species diversification and timing of developmental changes. 

Labs and Facilities

Interested students can learn useful techniques such as DNA extraction and purification, PCR amplification, cloning and sequencing. They can also gain experience in phylogenetic methods (e.g. sequence editing, alignment and analysis). See Dr. Barber's laboratory website for more information.

Publications and Media Placements

Graham, S. A., M. Diazgranados and J. C. Barber. 2011. Relationships among the confounding genera Ammania, Hionanthera, Nesaea, and Rotala (Lythraceae). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 166: 1-19.

Barber, J. C., A. G. Ghebretinsae and S. A. Graham. 2010. An expanded phylogeny of Cuphea (Lythraceae) and a North American monophyly. Plant Systematics and Evolution 289: 35-44.

Barber, J. C., K. A. Hames, A. M. Cialdella, L.M. Giussani and O. Morrone. 2009. Phylogenetic relationships of Piptochaetium Presl (Poaceae: Stipeae) and related genera reconstructed from nuclear and chloroplast sequence datasets. Taxon 58: 375-380.

Vicentini, A., J. C. Barber, S. A. Aliscioni, L. M. Giussani, and E. A. Kellogg. 2008. The age of the grasses and clusters of origins of C4 photosynthesis. Global Change Biology 14: 2963-2977. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01688.x.

Raskina, O., J. C. Barber, E. Nevo and A. Belyayev. 2008. Repetitive DNA and chromosomal rearrangements: speciation-related events in plant genomes. Cytogenetics and Genome Research 120: 351-357. doi:10.1159/000121084.

Kim, S.C., M. R. McGowen, P. Lubinsky, J. C. Barber, M. E. Mort, and A. Santos-Guerra. 2008. Timing and tempo of early and successive adaptive radiations in Macaronesia. PLoS ONE 3(5): e2139. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002139.

Ghebretinsae, A. G., S. A. Graham, G. R. Camilo and J. C. Barber. 2008. Natural infraspecific variation in fatty acid composition of Cuphea (Lythraceae) seed oils. Journal of Industrial Crops and Products 27: 279-287.

Ghebretinsae, A. G., M. Thulin and J. C. Barber. 2007. Nomenclatural changes in Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae). Novon 17: 176-178.

Ghebretinsae, A. G., M. Thulin and J. C. Barber. 2007. Relationships of cucumbers and melons unraveled: molecular phylogenetics of Cucumis and related genera (Benincaseae, Cucurbitaceae). American Journal of Botany 94: 1256-1266.

Barber, J.C., C. C. Finch, J. Francisco-Ortega, A. Santos-Guerra and R. K. Jansen. 2007. Hybridization in Macaronesian Sideritis (Lamiaceae): evidence from incongruence of multiple independent nuclear and chloroplast sequence datasets. Taxon 56: 74-88.

Barber, J. C., J. Francisco-Ortega, A. Santos-Guerra, K. G. Turner and R. K. Jansen. 2002. Origin of Macaronesian Sideritis L. (Lamiaceae) inferred from nuclear and chloroplast sequence datasets. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 23: 293-306.

Francisco-Ortega, J., J. C. Barber, A. Santos-Guerra, R. Febles-Hernández and R. K. Jansen. 2001. Origin and evolution of the endemic genera of Gonosperminae (Compositae: Anthemideae): evidence from nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA. American Journal of Botany 88: 161-169.

Barber, J. C., J. Francisco-Ortega, A. Santos-Guerra, A. Marrero and R. K. Jansen. 2000. Evolution of endemic Sideritis (Lamiaceae) in Macaronesia: insights from a chloroplast DNA restriction site analysis. Systematic Botany 25: 633-647.