Brian Dorsey, Ph.D.

Brian Dorsey serves as The Huntington's chief botanical researcher. His lab oversees research at The Huntington concerning molecular systematics and conservation genetics of plants. Much of the lab's current research focuses on the phylogenetics and phylogeography of cycads, mainly in the genus Dioon. This work involves collaboration with botanists at the Sociedad para el Estudio de Recursos Bióticos de Oaxaca (SERBO) and naturalists affiliated with the University of California Botanical Garden.

Another focus of the lab is the conservation of Californian and western U.S. plant species in collaboration with other researchers and institutions. One such project involves studying the conservation genetics of Limnanthes in collaboration with Dr. Vanessa Handley of the UC Botanical Garden and the California Conservation Genomics Project. Additionally, in collaboration with Tim Thibault, Curator of Wood Plants at The Huntington, the lab conducts a systematic collection of seeds from western U.S. Fraxinus species for ex-situ conservation and genetic screening for resistance to the Emerald Ash Borer.

Brian also manages the Global Genome Initiative collections, where the genomic DNA of plants in The Huntington collections are collected, conserved, and made available to other researchers. Working alongside fellow researchers, interns, and volunteers alike, Brian's research aims to expand the scientific potential of The Huntington's botanical collections.

Publications

Dorsey, B. L., T. J. Gregory, C. Sass, and C. D. Specht. 2018. Pleistocene diversification in an ancient lineage: a role for glacial cycles in the evolutionary history of Dioon Lindl. (Zamiaceae). American Journal of Botany 105: 1512–1530.

Gunawardana, M., E. R. Hyde, S. Lahmeyer, B. L. Dorsey, T. P. L. Val, M. Mullen, J. Yoo, et al. 2015. Euphorbia plant latex is inhabited by diverse microbial communities. American Journal of Botany 102: 1966–1977.

Horn, J. W., Z. Xi, R. Riina, J. A. Peirson, Y. Yang, B. L. Dorsey, P. E. Berry, et al. 2014. Evolutionary bursts in Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae) are linked with photosynthetic pathway. Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 68: 3485–3504.

Dorsey, B. L., T. Haevermans, X. Aubriot, J. J. Morawetz, R. Riina, V. W. Steinmann, and P. E. Berry. 2013. Phylogenetics, morphological evolution, and classification of Euphorbia subgenus Euphorbia. Taxon 62: 291–315.