Research in evolutionary ecology and evolutionary genetics
|
Drosophila serrata. Photo by A. Morin
|
Welcome to our website!
Our collective interests span a diverse range of topics in evolutionary ecology and evolutionary genetics. Currently, much of the work in the lab focuses on understanding the contribution of sexual selection to adaptation and the purging of deleterious mutations, and in particular how sexual conflict may contribute to this and how its effects may vary with ecology. We are also studying the evolutionary divergence of mate preferences and how this may generate assortative mating that can contribute to both initiating and completing the speciation process. Information about these and other projects can be found on our Research page.
Our approach to these and other topics is empirical and utilizes both laboratory and field studies, the former including various species of Drosophila (e.g., D. melanogaster, D. serrata, D. recens, D. subquinaria), the fungus Aspergillus nidulans, and the antler fly, Protopiophila litigata. Our field system is based out of the Wildlife Research Station in the beautiful Algonquin Park, working with antler flies (and hopefully soon, some relatives as well). Most of what we do involves whole organism assays of fitness, behaviour, morphology, and other phenotypes, although we also dabble in quantitative genetics and genomics. We have a particular interest in contact pheromones in insects (i.e. cuticular hydrocarbons and their derivatives) because of their role as sexual displays, and we have the facilities for their high-throughput quantification via gas chromatography. |
Lab news
Aug 2018 - undergraduate student paper accepted
Former undergraduate Alison MacPherson's honours project on the effects of female quality on male-induced harm in Drosophila has been accepted for publication in Biology Letters. Tania Barrera and Li Yun helped on the paper with collaborator Aneil Agrawal. ___________________________________________________ July 2018 - new PhD student William Jarvis coming Will is coming from an MSc at Guelph with Beren Robinson, starting in Jan. 2019. We're excited! Not sure yet what he'll do in our lab; lots of exciting possibilities! ___________________________________________________ June 2018 - Work of grad student Li Yun published in PNAS Li is studying the effects of mate competition on adaptation and purging in Drosophila using an enormous evolution experiment (63 replicate populations). Cool result - the environment in which mate competition occurs shapes its impact! Paper here. Li is co-supervised by Aneil Agrawal. ___________________________________________________ May 2018 - new PhD student Tania Barrera Tania spent a semester in our lab on an undergraduate exchange from Mexico and will be coming back to do a PhD co-supervised by myself and Aneil Agrawal. She'll be based out of the U. of T. and will be looking at intralocus sexual conflict using populations from Li's evolution experiment (see above). ___________________________________________________ Nov. 2016 - New faces and sad goodbyes Former MSc and lab-tech extraordinaire Julie Colpitts leaves to start a PhD. We wish her all the best! In addition to Chris, Matheiu, Natasha and Lauren, Li Yun also joined us in Sept for a PhD. The lab is hopping again! ___________________________________________________ June 2016 - Evolution in Austin! Just back from Evolution 2016 in Austin, TX for which I (HDR) was the lead organizer. Things generally went well and we've learned a lot that will help make next year (Portland 2017) even better. ___________________________________________________ Mar. 2016 - New students! Chris Angell and Mathieu Videlier both starting PhD's in Sept. 2016 (Mathieu is co-supervised by Vincent Careau); Laura Effort and Natasha Young joining us as undergraduate honours students. ___________________________________________________ Nov. 2015 - Looking for MSc/Phd students Lab projects in evolutionary genetics (sexual selection and adaptation) and speciation; lab/field projects on sexual conflict and physiology. ____________________________________________________ Oct. 2015 - Pumpkin masters Departmental pumpkin carving contest. Theme: experiments gone wrong. Winner: Rundle lab (with no help from the supervisor)! Check it out here. An apt effort given my new role as a biostatics instructor. ____________________________________________________ July 2015 - Amazing undergrads! Undergraduate Honours students Harmandeep Sekhon and Darla Williscroft, with the help of MSc. Julie Colpitts, show that some deleterious mutations are purged faster when the mating environment is more ecologically complex. Howard presented these results in Brazil. ____________________________________________________ May 2015 - Paper accepted in Current Biology! Work with Steve Chenoweth and collaborators studying the genomics of adaptation under natural and sexual selection will be coming out soon in Current Biology. ____________________________________________________ Apr. 2015 - New graduate student Kevin Kwok will be joining the lab this coming September to do a PhD. We looking forward to welcoming him! ____________________________________________________ Mar. 2015 - NSERC award Undergraduate Jean-Paul Soucy gets an USRA to work in the lab for the summer. Congrats! ____________________________________________________ Feb. 2015 - New paper in Ecology Letters! Bonduriansky et al. 2015. Differential effects of genetic vs. environmental quality in Drosophila melanogaster suggest multiple forms of condition dependence. Ecology Letters 18: 317-326. ____________________________________________________ Jan. 2015 - MSc student Ali's paper published in Evolution White & Rundle. 2014. Territory defense as a condition-dependent component of male reproductive success in Drosophila serrata. Evolution 69: 407–418. ____________________________________________________ |
