James B Pettengill

Advisor: Dr. Maile C. Neel

Previous Education:
M.S. Biology University of North Carolina Greensboro (2003)
B.A. Biology Earlham College (1999)

Research Interests:
One of my research objectives is to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among a number of closely related Agalinis species in the section Erectae using a combination of molecular (microsatellites and anonymous nuclear sequences) and morphological data. This section of the genus includes a number of state-rare species as well as the federally-listed Agalinis acuta. Recent genetic evidence has raised questions about the evolutionary distinctiveness of Agalinis acuta such that I am also interested in species concepts. Understanding levels of distinctiveness among the putative taxa in this section is critical to setting conservation priorities.

Location of Research:
Coastal Plains of the Eastern United States

Publications:
J. Pettengill, M. Hadfield, M. Schug, and D. Wendt. 2003. Characterization of 8 polymorphic microsatellites for the polychaete tubeworm Hydroides elegans and cross-species amplification in the congener Hydroides hexagonus. Molecular Ecology Notes. 3(3):369.

Miller NH, Marosy B, Justice CM, Novak SM, Tang EY, Boyce P, Pettengill J, Doheny KF, Pugh EW, Wilson AF. 2006. Linkage analysis of genetic loci for kyphoscoliosis on chromosomes 5p13, 13q13.3, and 13q32. Am J Med Genet A. 140A(10):1059-1068.

JB Pettengill and MC Neel. 2008. Phylogenetic patterns and conservation among North American members of the genus Agalinis (Orobanchaceae). BMC Evolutionary Biology. 8:264. 

Funding Sources:
USFWS