Research
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The theme of my research program is understanding the causes and consequences of genetic variation. I am mainly interested in understanding why members of the same population are so genetically variable. A simplistic view of evolution would lead one to believe that natural selection should eliminate most genetic variation for traits that determine Darwinian fitness: traits such as fecundity, mating success, and longevity. However, animal populations harbor a great deal of genetic variation for these fitness traits. This variation could be maintained by mutation, or could be actively maintained by natural selection. My laboratory conducts experiments desinged to measure variation for fitness traits, identify genes causing variation, and determine the evolutionary forces responsible for maintaining variation. Because evolutionary theories of sexual selection, mate choice, and aging are based on assumptions about the causes and consequences of fitness variation, my lab is actively involved in evaluating these theories. Students in the lab are currently studying the genetic basis of variation in courtship behavior and lifespan, the ecological genetics of sexual selection and mate choice, and the evolutionary and mechanistic determinants life span. We use many different experimental techniques including quantitative genetics, molecular kinship analysis, gene expression analysis, and field studies. We have worked on several different organisms including fruit flies, honey bees, guppies, white-footed mice, and humans.
Current research projects include:
- Genetics of sperm competition
- Genetics of longevity
- Genetics of reproductive behavior
- Ecological genetics of color and size polymorphism in guppies
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Department of Animal Biology School of Integrative Biology University of Illinois Created 08/01/01
Updated 08/01/01
