Limits to the adaptive evolution process
Evolutionary Biology
The process of adaptive evolution – in the simplest models – occurs as long as selection acts on the population and there is heritable genetic variation for the trait under selection. However, many other proximate and ultimate factors can influence the process of adaptation. A past emphasis of my research has been the role of population size in determining quantitative genetic variation for ecologically relevant traits and the predicted response to selection. In a current project, we study the role of outcrossing and recombination on quantitative genetic variation and the response to selection. Furthermore, we explore how genetic correlations limit adaptation, and the role of environmental stress in adaptive evolution. Current investigations focus on Arabidopsis lyrata. Our work has a strong experimental component (selection experiments), but we also look at patterns of genetic variation and adaptation in natural populations of Arabidopsis lyrata in the Great Lakes region of North America
Research topics
Population genetics
Quantitative genetics
Conservation genetics
Mating system evolution
Interdisciplinary
Conservation: fate of small populations under environmental change
Genetic variation and adaptability in plant pathogenic fungi
Mating system evolution and the evolution of selfish genetic elements
Life history evolution, genetic trade-offs and genetic correlations
