Matt Estep

Matt Estep and Michael McKain are researchers affiliated with the Biology Department at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. Their collaborative work focuses on evolutionary mechanisms in plant species, particularly allopolyploidy and its role in diversification.

Research interests include the genomic and ecological impacts of whole-genome duplication events in grasses, with a specific emphasis on the Andropogoneae tribe. Their 2014 study in PNAS linked Miocene grassland expansions to polyploid speciation events.

Their work utilizes phylogenetic analysis of low-copy nuclear loci to document genetic allopolyploidy, identifying 28 tetraploidy and 6 hexaploidy events. This research contributes to understanding plant evolutionary responses to environmental changes.