Mary Morgan-Richards

MaryMorganRichards Senior Research Fellow, Senior Lecturer, INR
Massey University - Palmerston North
Phone: +64 6 356 9099 extn 2043
Fax: +64 6 350 5626
Email: M.Morgan-Richards@massey.ac.nz

Research Interests

I am interested in speciation, hybridisation, gene flow and hybrid zones. I have worked on a range of evolutionary questions using molecular and cytogenetic data and the analytical methods of population genetics. Central to my research are the questions about what are species are and how they form?


My graduate students and postdoctoral fellow work on a range of native species focusing on evolutionary ecology, speciation and phylogeography. We use New Zealand invertebrates such as weta, stick insects and snails to address evolutionary questions and study species interactions in natural ecosystems. I have studied weta chromosome hybrid zones, and have students investigating gecko hybrid zones. I collaborate with paleontologists (GNS Science) to investigate evolutionary relationships of extant molluscs and use their excellent fossil record to estimate rates of DNA evolution, patterns of extinction and speciation and the problem of convergence. 

About Me


I am a senior lecturer within the ecology group (INR) at Massey University teaching biodiversity, conservation and evolution.

  • PhD Victoria University of Wellington.
  • I was a postdoctoral Research Fellow at: University of St Andrews (Scotland); Natural History Museum London (England); University of Canterbury (New Zealand).
  • Principal Investigator (private individual) of Marsden funded project in collaboration with Graham Wallis at University of Otago, Dunedin (New Zealand).

Links

New Zealand Invertebrate Speciation

References

Hybrid Zones & Hybridisation

Morgan-Richards M, Smissen RD, Shepherd LD, Hayward J, Chan C, Chambers GK, Wallis GP, Chapman HM. 2009 A review of genetic analyses of hybridisation in New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 39(1): 15-34.

Morgan-Richards, M., Trewick, S. A. 2005. Hybrid origin of a parthenogenetic genus? Molecular Ecology, 14: 2133-2142.

Morgan-Richards, M., Wallis. G. P. 2003. A comparison of five hybrid zones of the weta Hemideina thoracica (orthoptera: Anostostomatidae): Degree of cytogenetic differentiation fails to predict zone width. Evolution 57(4): in press.

Morgan-Richards, M., Trewick, S. A. and Chapman, H. 2003. Hybridisation among introduced Hieracicum sp. Detected using flow cytometry. Heredity. Submitted.

Morgan-Richards, M., King, T. and Trewick , S. A. 2001. The Evolutionary history of tree weta: a genetical approach. Chapter 7, Pp: 111-124. In: Field, L. [Ed] Biology of weta, King Crickets and their Allies. CABI Publishing, Oxford.

Morgan-Richards, M., Trewick, S. A. and Wallis, G. P. 2000 Characterization of a hybrid zone between two chromosomal races of the weta Hemideina thoracica following a geologically recent volcanic eruption. Heredity 85(6): 586-592.

Morgan-Richards, M. and Townsend, J. A. 1995. Hybridisation of tree weta on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand, and colour polymorphism within Hemideina ricta (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 22: 393-399.

Cytogenetics

Morgan-Richards, M. 2005. Chromosome rearrangements are not accompanied by expected genome size change in the tree weta Hemideina thoracica (Orthoptera, Anostostomatidae). Journal of Orthoptera Research, 14(2): 143-148.

Morgan-Richards, M. 2002. Fission or Fusion? Mitochondrial DNA phylogenetics of the chromosome races of Hemideina crassidens (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae). Cytogenetics and Genome Research 96: 27-222.

Morgan-Richards, M. 2000. Robertsonian translocations and B chromosomes in the Wellington tree weta, Hemideina crassidens (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae). Hereditas, 132: 49-54.

Phylogeography and Intraspecific Genetic Structure

Trewick, S. A., Morgan-Richards, M., Russell, S. R., Henderson, S., Rumsey, F. J., Pinter, I., Barrett, J. A., Gibby, M., Vogel, J. C. 2002. Polyploidy, phylogeography and Pleistocene refugia of the rockfern Asplenium ceterach: evidence from cpDNA. Molecular Ecology 11: 2003-2012.

Morgan-Richards, M., Trewick, S. A. Wallis. G. P. 2001. Chromosome races with Pliocene origins: evidence from mtDNA. Heredity 86: 303-312.

Wolff, K., Morgan-Richards, M. and Davison, A. W. 2000. Patterns of molecular genetic variation in Plantago major and P. intermedia in relation to ozone resistance. New Phytologist, 145: 501-509.

Trewick, S. A., Wallis, G. P. and Morgan-Richards, M. 2000. Phylogeographic pattern correlates with Pliocene mountain-building in the alpine scree weta (Orthoptera, Anostostomatidae). Molecular Ecology, 9(6): 657-666.

Morgan-Richards, M. and Wolff, K. 1999. Genetic structure and differentiation of Plantago major reveals a pair of sympatric sister species. Molecular Ecology, 8: 1027-1036.

Wolff, K. and Morgan-Richards, M. 1999. The use of RAPD data in the analysis of population genetic structure: case studies of Alkanna (Boraginaceae) and Plantago (Plantaginaceae). Chpt 4, pages 51 - 73. In: P. Hollingsworth, R. Bateman & R. Gornall [eds] Molecular systematics and plant evolution. Taylor & Francis, London.

Wolff, K. and Morgan-Richards, M. 1998. RAPD variation in Plantago major. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 96: 282-286.

Morgan-Richards, M. and Wallis, G. P. 1998. Genetic structure of the Auckland tree weta and the pliocene archipelago of Northland. Geological Society of New Zealand Miscellaneous Publications No. 97. ISBN 0-908678-69-X: 55-58.

Morgan-Richards, M. 1997. Intraspecific karyotype variation is not concordant with allozyme variation in the Auckland tree weta of New Zealand, Hemideina thoracica (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 60: 423-442.

Morgan-Richards, M. and Gibbs, G. W. 1996. Colour, allozyme and karyotype variation in the New Zealand Giant Scree Weta Deinacrida connectens (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae). Hereditas, 125: 265-276.

Systematics and Phylogenetics

Pratt, RC, Morgan-Richards, M, Trewick, S. 2008. Diversification of New Zealand weta (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Anostostomatidae) and their relationships in Australasia. Phil Trans. Royal Soc London. 363(1508):3427-3438.

Pratt, RC, Gibb GC, Morgan-Richards M, Phillips MJ, Hendy MD, Penny D. 2008. Towards resolving deep Neoaves phylogeny: data, signal enhancement and priors Molecular Biology and Evolution; doi: 10.1093/molbev/msn248

Morgan-Richards, M.,  Trewick, S. A. Bartosch-Härlid, A., Kardailsky, O, Phillips, M. J., McLenachan P. A., Penny, D. 2008. Bird Evolution: Testing The Metaves Clade With Six New Mitochondrial Genomes. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 8:20.

Trewick, S. A., Morgan-Richards, M., Collins, L. J. 2008. Are you my mother? DNA reveals hybrid stick insect genus is an orphan. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 48:799-808.

Trewick, S. A., Morgan-Richards, M. 2005. After the deluge: mitochondrial DNA indicates Miocene radiation and Pliocene adaptation of tree and giant weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae). Journal of Biogeography, 32: 295-309.

Trewick, S. A., Morgan-Richards, M. 2004. Phylogenetics of New Zealand’s tree, giant and tusked weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae): evidence from mitochondrial DNA. Journal of Orthoptera Research 13(2): 185-196.

Pinter, I., Bakker, F., Barrett, J., Cox C., Gibby, M., Henderson, S., Morgan-Richards, M., Rumsey, F., Russell, S., Trewick, S., Schneider, H., Vogel, J. 2002. Phylogenetic and biosystematic relationships in four highly disjunct polyploid complexes in the subgenera Ceterach and Phyllitis in Asplenium (Aspleniaceae) .Organisms, Diversity and Evolution, 2: 299-311.

Morgan-Richards, M. & Gibbs, G. W. 2001. A phylogenetic analysis of New Zealand giant and tree weta (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae: Deinacrida and Hemideina) using morphology and genetic characters. Invertebrate Taxonomy Vol 15: 1- 12.

Morgan-Richards, M. 1995. A new species of tree weta in the North Island of New Zealand (Orthoptera: Stenopelmatidae: Hemideina) New Zealand Entomologist, 18: 15-23.

Morgan-Richards, M., Daugherty, C. H. and Gibbs, G. W. 1995. Specific status of the tree weta from Stephens Island, Mt Holdsworth and Mt Arthur, based on allozyme variation. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 25(2): 301-312.

Ecology

Morgan-Richards, M., Trewick, S. A., Dunavan, S. 2008. When is it coevolution? The case of ground wētā and fleshy fruits in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology. 32: 108-112.

Trewick, S. A., Morgan-Richards, M. 2000. Artificial weta roosts: a technique for ecological study and population monitoring of tree weta (Hemideina) and other invertebrates. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 24(2): 201-208.

Trewick, S. A. and Morgan-Richards, M. 1995. On the distribution of tree weta in the North Island, New Zealand. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 25(4): 1-9.