Publications

A complete understanding of the role of natural selection in driving evolutionary change requires accurate estimates of the strength of selection acting in the wild. Accordingly, several approaches using a variety of data-including patterns of DNA...

Several lists of grand challenges in biology have been published recently, highlighting the strong need to answer fundamental questions about how life evolves and is governed, and how to apply this knowledge to solve the pressing problems of our times. To...

How do proteins evolve novel functions? To address this question, we are studying the evolution of a mammalian toxin, the serine protease BLTX [1], from the salivary glands of the North American shrew Blarina brevicauda. Here, we examine the molecular...

A major goal in evolutionary biology is to understand how and why populations differentiate, both genetically and phenotypically, as they invade a novel habitat. A classical example of adaptation is the pale colour of beach mice, relative to their dark...

Adaptation is a central focus of biology, although it can be difficult to identify both the strength and agent of selection and the underlying molecular mechanisms causing change. We studied cryptically colored deer mice living on the Nebraska Sand Hills...

Convergent evolution is a widespread phenomenon seen in diverse organisms inhabiting similar selective environments. However, it is unclear if similar phenotypes are produced by the same or different genes and mutations. Here we analyze the molecular...

Identifying the molecular basis of phenotypes that have evolved independently can provide insight into the ways genetic and developmental constraints influence the maintenance of phenotypic diversity. Melanic (darkly pigmented) phenotypes in mammals...

The evolutionary history of most behaviours remains unknown. Here, we assay burrowing behaviour of seven species of deer mice in standardized environments to determine how burrowing evolved in this genus (Peromyscus). We found that several, but not all...

Genes expressed in testes are critical to male reproductive success, affecting spermatogenesis, sperm competition, and sperm-egg interaction. Comparing the evolution of testis proteins at different taxonomic levels can reveal which genes and functional...

We revisited a classic study of morphological variation in the oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) to estimate the strength of selection acting on pigmentation patterns and to identify the underlying genes. We measured 215 specimens collected by...

It is increasingly clear that additional 'model' systems are needed to elucidate the genetic and developmental basis of organismal diversity. Whereas model system development previously required enormous investment, recent advances including the...