Effects of complex population dynamics on genome evolution
How do complex population dynamics structure genomes in wild populations?
I’m exploring this question with a population of midges in Lake Mývatn,
Iceland, where they have irregular population fluctuations of about 5 orders
of magnitude.
As part of a long-term monitoring project at Mývatn,
Dr. Árni Einarsson has estimated midge densities, and
collected and stored midge samples since 1977.
I aim to leverage this time series of whole-genome and ecological data
to assess how genomic structure is affected by population dynamics.
Eco-evo dynamics in a host–parasitoid system
source: alexanderwild.com
In the pea aphid, shifts in the frequencies of clonal lines with resistance
to parasitoid wasps can happen rapidly enough to affect their ecological
dynamics.
For these “eco-evo dynamics” to remain important, pea aphid populations must
somehow maintain variability in parasitoid resistance.
Through lab experiments and simulations, we are
trying to understand the ecological ramifications of eco-evo dynamics
in this host–parasitoid system.
We also aim to describe the ecological mechanisms that maintain variation in
parasitoid resistance among pea aphids.
