I am an evolutionary biologist studying the processes that give rise to the immense diversity of flowering plants. I use field experiments in combination with natural history observations to approach questions related to speciation at various stages of divergence. My main interests involve the application of natural selection theory in pollination systems, with a focus on floral mimicry, character displacement and reproductive isolation in geophyte and long proboscid fly systems. I teach first-year cell biology, second-year reproductive biology, third-year speciation and coordinate our honours programme.

For more details on the research I do, visit www.floraldivergence.wordpress.com

Current Students (*co-supervisor)

Katharine Khoury (MSc)

Alice Marais (MSc)*

Ruby Davies (MSc - NMU with Anina Coetzee)*

Ntokozo Hlope (MSc)

Hannah Butler (Postdoc)

Recent Publications

Under review: 

Khoury and Newman, Disentangling pollination-efficacy and its role in maintaining subspecies boundaries in an African Storksbill. American Naturalist (round 2).

Published

Theron et al…2023 We dont know the half of it: morphological and molecular evidence reveal dramatic underestimation of diversity in a key pollinator group (Nemestrinidae). Invertebrate Systematics. 37(1): 1-13

Newman, E. Khoury, K. van Niekerk, S. and Peter, C. 2022 Structural anther mimics improve reproductive success through dishonest signalling that enhances both attraction and the morphological fit of pollinators with flowers. Evolution. 76 (8), 1749-1761

Newman, E. Johnson, S.D. 2021 A shift in long proboscid fly pollinators and floral tube length among populations of Erica junonia (Ericaceae). South African Journal of Botany 142, 451-458.

Newman, E. Govender, K., van Niekerk, S. and Johnson, S. D. 2021 The functional ecology of bat pollination in the Africa sausage tree Kigelia africana. Biotropica. 53(2), 477-486.

Newman, E. and Anderson, B. 2020  Character displacement: competition for pollen placement sites drive floral divergence in Pelargonium communities.  Evolution. 74(2), 283 – 296.

Last Modified: Thu, 07 Mar 2024 16:32:09 SAST