Sedonia Sipes | Plant Biology | SIU

Sedonia Sipes

Associate Professor and Plant Biology Program Coordinator. Plant biodiversity and conservation biology

My research focuses on the evolution of plant-insect interactions, specifically interactions between bees and their pollen and nectar host plants. I integrate both the botanical and entomological aspects of these interactions; I also address conservation implications of these interactions. My current research projects include using molecular phylogenetic approaches to examine 1) the evolution of pollen host choice in specialist bees and 2) the early evolutionary history of bee/angiosperm relationships. Additionally, I am examining the breeding systems, correlates of reproductive success, pollination ecology, and population genetic structure of several species of rare plants.

Visit my laboratory website to learn more.

Education

Ph.D. 2001, Utah State University

Selected Publications

1. Sipes, S.D. and V.J. Tepedino. 2006. Perfection subverted: contrivances for outcrossing in a rare orchid are influenced by pollinator abundance. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 133: 412-420.
2. Danforth, B., S. Sipes, J. Fang, and S.G. Brady. 2006. The history of early bee diversification based on five genes plus morphology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 15118-15123
3. Saunders, N.E. and S.D. Sipes. 2006. Reproductive biology and pollination ecology of the rare Yellowstone Park endemic Abronia ammophila. Plant Species Biology 21: 75-84.
4. Sipes, S.D. and V.J. Tepedino. 2005. Levels of pollen host specialization, and evolutionary patterns of host-switching in a clade of specialist bees. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 86: 487-505.
5. Sipes, S., and P. Wolf. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships within Diadasia, a group of specialist bees. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 19: 144-156.