I’ve always been a science nerd. It is a badge I wear proudly. From my earliest days, I have been fascinated by how things work–things like plants, insects, the heavens, but not so much cars and the like. Still, I was always asking why and how, but my most dreaded question to parents and teachers always began with “Have you ever wondered why … ?” Because it seemed that they never had. I was fortunate that my parents were indulgent of me and my questions. We had encyclopedia that were consulted on a regular basis and my sibs and I were gifted with a microscope, a chemistry set, and a telescope. During summers the kitchen would have jars of praying mantis or ant lions or red velvet ants not to mention frogs eggs and crayfish. We kept these critters just to watch them, and usually released after a short time so an not to kill them. Though I have to admit many critters did give up their lives for the sake of science. I remember dissecting a frog with my cousin once. It died, too, but we were happy to see that it’s insides looked just like the pages in our Worldbook Encyclopedia. You remember those transparent pages, too, don’t you. They served as our guide while we navigated the poor frog’s working parts.
I was fortunate to have married a man who is equally curious about the machinations of our world. We met at Indiana University Bloomington campus when I was an undergraduate and he was working toward his PhD and were married the year after I graduated–1980. He got his PhD in 1981. It has been a great joy to have spent over 30 years working side by side with him in the pursuit of trying to answer the many questions posed by his line of research–Plant Systematics with an emphasis on polyploidy and its consequences in legumes (the bean family). I have enjoyed the puzzles and am proud to say that I have “good lab hands”. I am a wiz at DNA Isolations and, thanks to loving algebra, was good at mixing up solutions to the proper molarity. I joined professional societies such as the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and the Botanical Society of America and attended their annual meetings with him. We have even published together. I am a co-author on many of Jeff’s papers as you can see below. We have worked together for over 2 years at Washington University in St. Louis and then for 30 years at Cornell University in the School of Integrated Plant Science. I retired in 2015. I miss the science, the puzzles as I mentioned, but I’m enjoying the new facets of my life. (FYI: I will add to this page as science related things come up, so don’t be put off by my list of publications. Just scroll to the bottom to see where my questions have led me.)
Here is a list of my publications just for fun. I do, however, expect you to look at each one. No, I know better than that, but if you have ever wondered why …
Publications
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1987. A rapid DNA isolation procedure for small quantities of fresh leaf tissue. Phytochemical Bulletin 19: 11-15.
Doyle J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1988. Hybridization in Claytonia: morphology, fertility, and nuclear ribosomal genes. American Journal of Botany 75: 1238-1246.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1990. Isolation of plant DNA from fresh tissue. Focus 12:13-15.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, A. H. D. Brown and J. P. Grace. 1990. Multiple origins of polyploids in the Glycine tabacina complex inferred from chloroplast DNA polymorphism. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:714-717.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, J. P. Grace, and A. H. D. Brown. 1990. Reproductively isolated polyploid races of Glycine tabacina (Leguminosae) had different chloroplast genome donors. Systematic Botany 15:173-181.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle and A. H. D. Brown. 1990. Chloroplast DNA phylogenetic affinities of newly described species in Glycine (Leguminosae: Phaseoleae). Systematic Botany 15:466-471.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle and A. H. D. Brown. 1990. Chloroplast DNA polymorphism and phylogeny in the B genome of Glycine subgenus Glycine (Leguminosae). American Journal of Botany 77:772-782.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and A. H. D. Brown. 1990. Analysis of a polyploid complex in Glycine with chloroplast and nuclear DNA. Australian Journal of Systematic Botany 3:125-136.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1991. DNA and higher plant systematics: some examples from the legumes. pp. 101-115 in: G. Hewitt, A. W. B. Johnson, and J. P. W. Young (eds.), Molecular Techniques in Taxonomy. NATO ASI Series H, Cell Biology Vol. 57.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1993. Chloroplast DNA phylogeny of the papilionoid legume tribe Phaseoleae. Systematic Botany 18:309-327.
Bruneau, A., J. L. Doyle, and J. J. Doyle. 1995. Phylogenetic evidence in Phaseoleae: evidence from chloroplast restriction site characters. Pp. 309-330 in: Advances in Legume Systematics, part 7: Phylogeny, M. D. Crisp and J. J. Doyle, eds. Royal Botanic Gardens: Kew.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and J. D. Palmer. 1995. Multiple independent losses of two genes and one intron from legume chloroplast genomes. Systematic Botany 20: 272-294.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, J. A. Ballenger, and J. D. Palmer. 1996. The distribution and phylogenetic significance of a 50kb chloroplast DNA inversion in the flowering plant family Leguminosae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 5:429-438.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, J. A. Ballenger, E. E. Dickson, T. Kajita, and H. Ohashi. 1997. A phylogeny of the chloroplast gene rbcL in the Leguminosae: Taxonomic correlations and insights into the evolution of nodulation. American Journal of Botany 84:541-554.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1997. Phylogenetic perspectives on the origins and evolution of nodulation in the legumes and allies. NATO ASI Series 39:307-312.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1999. Nuclear protein-coding genes in phylogeny reconstruction and homology assessment: some examples from Leguminosae. pp. 229-254 in: P. Hollingsworth, R. Bateman, and R. Gornall, eds., Molecular Systematics and Plant Evolution, Taylor and Francis, London.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and A. H. D. Brown. 1999. Incongruence in the diploid B-genome species complex of Glycine (Leguminosae) revisited: Histone H3-D alleles vs. chloroplast haplotypes. Mol. Biol. Evol. 16:354-362.
Doyle, J.J., J. L. Doyle, and A. H. D. Brown. 1999. Origins, colonization, and lineage recombination in a widespread perennial soybean polyploid complex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 96:10741-10745.
Adams, K. L., K. Song, P. G. Roessler, J. M. Nugent, J. L. Doyle, J. J. Doyle, and J. D. Palmer. 1999. Multiple insertions and dual transcription of nuclear and mitochondrial cox2 genes following transfer to the nucleus during recent legume evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 96:13863-13868.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, A. H. D. Brown, and Bernard E. Pfeil. 2000. Confirmation of shared and divergent genomes in the Glycine tabacina polyploid complex (Leguminosae). Systematic Botany 25:437-448.
Brown, A. H. D., J. L. Doyle, J. P. Grace, and J. J. Doyle. 2002. Molecular phylogenetic relationships within and among diploid races of Glycine tomentella (Leguminosae). Australian Systematic Botany 15:37-47.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, A. H. D. Brown, and R. G. Palmer. 2002. Genomes, multiple origins, and lineage recombination in the Glycine tomentella (Leguminosae) polyploid complex: histone H3-D gene sequences. Evolution 56:1388-1402.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and C. Harbison. 2003. Chloroplast-expressed glutamine synthetase in Glycine and related Leguminosae: Phylogeny, gene duplication, and ancient polyploidy. Systematic Botany 28:567-577.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, J. T. Rauscher, and A. H. D. Brown. 2004. Diploid and polyploid reticulate evolution throughout the history of the perennial soybeans (Glycine subgenus Glycine). New Phytologist 161:121-132.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, J. T. Rauscher, and A. H. D. Brown. 2004. Evolution of the perennial soybean polyploid complex (Glycine subgenus Glycine): A study of contrasts. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 82:583-597.
Parker, M. A., J. L. Doyle, and J. J. Doyle. 2004. Comparative phylogeography of Amphicarpaea legumes and their root-nodule symbionts in Japan and North America. Journal of Biogeography 31:425-434.
Bronski, M. J., S. C. K. Straub, S. M. Bogdanowicz, J. L. Doyle, A. H. D. Brown, and J. J. Doyle. 2009. Isolation and characterization of thirteen polymorphic microsatellite loci in the A-genome perennial group of the legume genus Glycine. Molecular Ecology Resources doi: 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2009.02712.x.
Sherman-Broyles, S., A. Bombarely, A. F. Powell, J. L. Doyle, A. N. Egan, J. E. Coate and J. J. Doyle. 2014. The wild side of a major crop: Soybean’s perennial cousins from Down Under. American Journal of Botany 101:1651–1665.
Published abstracts
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1986. Phylogenetic studies in Glycine: nuclear ribosomal genes. Amer. J. Bot. 73: s761.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle and S. S. Richards. 1986. Molecular approaches to phylogeny in Glycine subgenus Glycine. Second International Legume Conference Abstracts.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle and A. H. D. Brown. 1988. Chloroplast DNA variation and evolution in perennial soybeans (Glycine subgenus Glycine). Amer. J. Bot. 75:s171-172.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and A. H. D. Brown. 1989. Multiple origins of polyploids in the Glycine tabacina complex inferred from nuclear rDNA fixed hybridity and chloroplast DNA polymorphism. Amer. J. Bot. 76:s238-239.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and A. H. D. Brown. 1989. The limits of chloroplast DNA in phylogeny reconstruction: polymorphism and phylogeny in the B genome of Glycine. Amer. J. Bot. 76: s239.
Frohlich, M. W., L. A. Craven, J. J. Doyle, and J. L. Doyle. 1990. Relationships of some American and Australian Heliotropium species. Amer. J. Bot. 77:s133.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1991. Chloroplast DNA phylogenetic studies in the legume tribe Phaseoleae and allies. Amer. J. Bot. 78:s183.
Frohlich, M. W., L. A. Craven, J. J. Doyle, and J. L. Doyle. 1991. Relationships of some American and Australian Heliotropium species. Amer. J. Bot. 78:s189.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and J. D. Palmer. 1993. Structural changes in the organellar genomes of legumes and their potential as phylogenetic markers. Amer. J. Bot. 80:s147.
Lai, M., J. Sceppa, J. A. Ballenger, J. L. Doyle, J. J. Doyle, and R. Wunderlin. 1994. Loss of the rpl2 intron from the chloroplast genomes of Bauhinia species. Amer. J. Bot. 81:s166-167.
Doyle, J. J. and J. L. Doyle. 1997. The cytosolic glutamine synthetase gene family in Leguminosae: gene phylogeny and evolution of its role in nodulation. Amer. J. Bot. 84:s188.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, J. C. Ho, and T. C. Nesbitt. 1998. Patterns of paralogy and concerted evolution in the leghemoglobin gene family of Glycine (Leguminosae). Amer. J. Bot. 85s:64-65.
Doyle, J. J., J. L. Doyle, and A. H. D. Brown. 1998. Incongruence in the diploid B-genome species complex of Glycine (Leguminosae) revisited: Histone H3-D alleles vs. chloroplast haplotypes. Amer. J. Bot. 85s:124-125.
Published Works
Poem in The Rotary Dial April 2017 “November”
Novel in Atmosphere Press August 2020 “Whose Mary Kate”
These last two are where my retired life has led me. My book is available on the front page.
November 19, 2020 Although I’ve spent most of my adult life working in labs as a research technician where the focus of the research was on plants, I usually tell people that I am a Botanist by Marriage. Having grown up on a farm, I tended to be more interested in animals. You see, animals did things, plants seemed not to do anything. Over the years I’ve come to realize that yes, plant do lots of things, but I still like calling myself a Botanist by Marriage. I am prone to use common names for plants, but there are several for which I know the at the genus name. Having a Botanist for spouse and working so long around other Botanists has informed my knowledge of the flora. Case in point is this Lycopodium sp I saw last week while walking in state owned land here in Upstate New York. It is one of several species and we actually saw three of them in the woods that day. This one is special because I used to use it to adorn our Nativity Scene as a child. Also my brother and I used it in a terrarium he and I collaborated on one summer. It is commonly called Running Ground Pine, because it resembles miniature pine trees and “runs” along the ground. It spreads and can be a nuisance if it is growing in a place you don’t want it. But mainly it minds its own business running along the floor of forests, adding a bit of beauty and color. Here is a good place to fess up about being a Botanist by Marriage. I met Jeff at Indiana University as I mentioned above. What I failed to mention is that I met him in a class I was taking. I was enrolled in B205 Introduction to Vascular Plants in the spring of 1977. The course was taught by Dr. Gerald Gastony. Jeff was one of the TAs for the lab portion of the course. Now, before you get any ideas, we didn’t date until two years later, but Dr G. still takes credit for introducing us. The other TA in the lab was Doug Soltis who later served as best man at our wedding.
