Local and landscape genetic processes in oaks

Several major findings have emerged from our studies of remnant stands of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) in northeastern Illinois. We have found that wind-dispersed oak pollen often travels long distances, and even acorns from isolated stands are pollinated by trees outstand the stand. High levels of gene flow keep populations reproductively connected across the landscape. Long-distance pollination has also recently been confirmed in California valley oak, Quercus lobata, in work done in collaboration with Walt Koenig. We have also been investigating patterns of hybridization among various white oak species, both in the Midwest and in California. Finally, we are studying conservation genetics questions in threatened species of oaks, including island oak, Quercus tomentella, found only on the California Channel Islands, and Quercus hinckleyi, found only in a few populations in West Texas.

Sibling Reconstruction

I am collaborating with a team of UIC computer scientists to tackle the problem of reconstructing sibling groups in wild populations using DNA microsatellite data. We have developed efficient computational methods for identifying full siblings and half siblings, without parental data, and assuming only Mendelian inheritance of genetic markers. This work is supported by an NSF grant. We have made these methods available to all researchers via an online software suite called KINALYZER. Please see our Wiki Page for more information.

Additional Projects

Studies of species boundaries and phylogenetics of the marine bivalve Isognomonidae (John Wilk)

Conservation Genetics of Endangered Illinois Shiners, Notropis heterodon and N. heterolepis (Fusun Ozer)

Population Genetics of Reintroduced Peregrine Falcons (Isabel Caballero)

Population Genetics of Penstemon rostriflorus and implications for restoration (Andrea Tietmeyer Kramer)

Temporal and spatial genetic structure of prairie plants across a fragmented landscape (Jennifer Ison)

Conservation of Anacapa Island Deer Mouse (Fusun Ozer)

Conservation and Management of Channel Islan Loggerhead Shrike (Isabel Caballero)

Conservation Genetics of Hinckley’s oak (Janet Backs)

Invasion Dynamics of Oriental Bittersweet, Celatrus orbiculatus (David Zaya)

Landscape genetics of a freshwater mussel, Leptodea fragilis, and its host, the freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) (Sheila Langosch)

Ashley Lab

Isabel’s Party, Nov. 9, 2009


Ashley lab lunch and Sheila's birthday, Lalo's, May 7, 2009


Saji Abraham, Postdoctoral Researcher (sajita@uic.edu)


Janet Backs, Doctoral Student (jbacks@uic.edu)


Isabel Caballero, Doctoral Student (icabal2@uic.edu)


Jennifer Ison, Doctoral Student (ison@uic.edu)


Emi Kuroiwa, Doctoral Student (ekuroi2@uic.edu) 


Sheila Langosch, Master Student (slangosc@uic.edu) 


Fusun Ozer, Doctoral Student (fozer1@uic.edu) 


John Wilk, Doctoral Student (jwilk@uic.edu)


David Zaya, Master Student (dzaya1@uic.edu)

Ashley Lab Alumni

Dr. Kathleen Craft, Concordia University Chicago
Dr. Beverly Dow, McHenry County College
Dr. Kevin Feldheim, Pritzker Laboratory, Field Museum of Natural History
Dr. Ken Jones, University of Georgia
Dr. Andrea Tietmeyer Kramer, Chicago Botanic Garden
Dr. Roselis Mazurek
Dr. Jane E. Norman
James Norton, Northwestern University
Helena Puche, Howe Lab, UIC
Dr. Bill Strausberger, Field Museum
Dr. Oliver Pergams, University of Illinois at Chicago
Dr. Jose (Pepé) Tello, Long Island University
Ramlah Zainudin, UNIMAS, Malaysia