Straub

Shannon StraubAssociate Professor of BiologyCo-Chair, BiochemistryChair, Biology

Joined faculty in 2014

Ph.D., Cornell University
B.A., University of Colorado

Contact Information

Eaton HallPhone (315) 781-3713

Scholarly Interest

plant systematics, phylogenomics, genome structure and evolution

Research

I investigate the evolutionary relationships at different scales in the milkweed and dogbane family (Apocynaceae). At the species level, I am working to understand the diversification of milkweeds ( Asclepias ) in North America, where more than 120 species have evolved over the last 5-10 million years. At the family level, I am working to understand relationships among genera, tribes and subfamilies of Apocynaceae to provide a framwork for investigating the evolution of the biochemical pathway for pyrrolizidine alkaloid production. To address these questions, I use the sequences of hundreds of nuclear genes and whole chloroplast genome sequences to infer evolutionary relationships.

Courses Taught

BIOL 167: Topics in Introductory Biology - Plants & People
BIOL 220: General Genetics 
BIOL 228: The Biology of Plants
BIOL 380: Genomics 
BIOL 460: Senior Seminar - Genome Collisions
AUST/ENV 235: Introduction to Urban Ecology

Publications

Selected Recent Publications:

Rusinko, J., Y. Cai, A. Crysler, K. Thompson, J. Boutte, M. Fishbein, and S.C.K. Straub. In Press - Advance Online. PickMe: Sample selection for species tree reconstruction using coalescent weighted quartets. Systematic Biology. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syaf017
 
Smith, C.R., E. Kaltenegger, J.Teisher, A.J. Moore, S.C.K. Straub, and T. Livshultz. 2025. Homospermidine synthase evolution and the origin(s) of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in Apocynaceae. American Journal of Botany: e16458. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16458
 
Zuntini, A.R., et al. 2024. Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms. Nature 629: 843-850. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07324-0
 
Antonelli, A., J.J. Clarkson, K. Kainulainen, O. Maurin, G.E. Brewer, A.P. Davis, N. Epitawalage, D.J. Goyder, T. Livshultz, C. Persson, L. Pokorny, S.C.K. Straub, L. Struwe, A.R. Zuntini, F. Forest, and W.J. Baker. 2021. Settling a family feud: A high-level phylogenomic framework for the Gentianales based on 353 nuclear genes and partial plastomes. American Journal of Botany 108(7): 1143-1165. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1697

Straub, S.C.K., J. Boutte, M. Fishbein, and T. Livshultz. 2020. Enabling evolutionary studies at multiple scales in Apocynaceae through Hyb-Seq. Applications in Plant Sciences 8(11): e11400. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aps3.11400

Weitemier, K., S.C.K. Straub, M. Fishbein, C.D. Bailey, R.C. Cronn, and A. Liston. 2019. A draft genome and transcriptome of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) as resources for evolutionary, ecological, and molecular studies in milkweeds and Apocynaceae. PeerJ 7:e7649. https://peerj.com/articles/7649/

Boutte, J. M. Fishbein, A. Liston, and S.C.K. Straub. 2019. NGS-Indel Coder: A pipeline to code indel characters in phylogenomic data with an example of its application in milkweeds (Asclepias). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 139:106534. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790319300958

Fishbein, M., T. Livshultz, S.C.K. Straub, A. Simões, J. Boutte, A. McDonnell, and A. Foote. 2018. Evolution on the backbone: Apocynaceae phylogenomics and new perspectives on growth forms, flowers, and fruits. American Journal of Botany 105(3):495-513. https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajb2.1067

Fishbein, M., S.C.K. Straub, J. Boutte, K. Hansen, R.C. Cronn, and A. Liston. 2018. Evolution at the tips: Asclepias (Apocynaceae) phylogenomics and new perspectives on leaf surfaces. American Journal of Botany 105(3):514-524.  https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajb2.1062

For a full publication list, visit my Google Scholar page.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Society of Plant Taxonomists
Botanical Society of America
Society of Systematic Biologists

Flowers of Apocynaceae (top row) and Asclepias (bottom row). All photos © Shannon Straub.