Author Archives: Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Building bridges across the chaos

Posted on 13 Sep, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

In a new review, Eldon and co-authors (in press) attempt to build a bridge across the chaos of genetic patchiness in the sea. They i) describe the patterns characterized as chaotic genetic patchiness, ii) discuss the potential causes of these patterns and … Continue reading →

Posted in evolution, genomics, mutation, natural history, next generation sequencing, phylogenetics, phylogeography, population genetics, selection | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Is equilibrium out of reach or are there some sneaky bouts of sex?

Posted on 30 Aug, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Reproductive systems impact the evolution of genetic diversity at the population level. Yet, we don’t know a lot about organisms that are partially clonal, despite the large component of biodiversity that dabbles in asexual reproduction to varying degrees. Clonal dynamics are … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, evolution, genomics, natural history, next generation sequencing, theory | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What do dolphins, bivalves and algae have in common?

Posted on 15 Jul, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Collaboration as it turns out, between three scientists interested in vertebrates, invertebrates and algae! A few days before we left for Evolution 2016 in Austin, one of my collaborators, Eric Pante, came to Charleston as the final stop in a North American … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, blogging, career, conferences, DNA barcoding, haploid-diploid, natural history, phylogenetics, phylogeography, population genetics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Personal narrative of a journey from zoos to academia

Posted on 2 Jun, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

The Molecular Ecologist receives a small commission for purchases made on Bookshop.org via links from this post. Back in February, the South Carolina Aquarium and The Center for Humans and Nature hosted the finale in the Holland Lifelong Learning series of “Why do … Continue reading →

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The not so singular process of hybridization

Posted on 27 May, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

What, if anything, are hybrids? Zach Gompert and Alex Buerkle ask this question in a special issue in Evolutionary Applications. Hybrids occur when unrelated individuals mate, but how distant do the taxa need to be to constitute a cross? The varied … Continue reading →

Posted in bioinformatics, conservation, domestication, evolution, genomics, natural history, next generation sequencing, plants | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Signatures of the reproductive lottery

Posted on 6 May, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

In marine populations, effective population sizes are usually several orders of magnitude lower than the census size. This difference is thought to be driven by high fecundity, variation in reproductive success and pronounced early mortality, resulting in genetic drift across generations. In … Continue reading →

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Neglected mycoplankton, no more

Posted on 15 Apr, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Taylor and Cunliffe (2016) provide a window into the world of the plankton in which they focus on a rarely studied component, the planktonic fungi (mycoplankton). Marine mycoplankton exist as free-living filamentous and yeast forms or as parasite of other … Continue reading →

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What makes a range?

Posted on 1 Apr, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Why do species have restricted geographic distributions? Classic ecological perspectives tell us distribution limits occur where ecological parameters coincide with the boundaries of ecological niches. Evolutionary perspectives, on the other hand, surmise distribution boundaries reflect a failure of niche evolution. Though small … Continue reading →

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Coral clonal chimeras

Posted on 9 Mar, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

We are all too aware of the threats ecosystem engineers, such as corals, face in light of global climate change. However, a new study by Rinkevich et al. (2016) suggest chimerism may be a a weapon to combat climate change. … Continue reading →

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There and back again: an angiosperm's tale

Posted on 19 Feb, 2016 by Stacy Krueger-Hadfield

Eelgrass (Zostera marina) is the dominant seagrass in the northern hemisphere and provides the foundation of highly productive ecosystems that rival tropical rain forests and coral reefs in ecosystem services. Zostera isn’t really a grass, but a monocot, like a … Continue reading →

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