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Category Archives: population genetics
In the aftermath of fire, bluebird species boundaries may blur
One of the most clear-cut reasons that species evolve to fill different ecological niches is competition. Two otherwise similar species that use the same resources experience strong selection favoring the use of less-similar resources, if they have the option. The … Continue reading
Posted in birds, evolution, hybridization, natural history, population genetics
Tagged mountain bluebird, western bluebird
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When less might be more: The evolution of reduced genomes
The advent of affordable genome sequencing has provided us with a wealth of data. Researchers have sequenced everything from Escherichia coli (4.6 Mbp genome size), to sea urchins (810 Mbp), chimpanzees (3.3 Gbp), and humans (3.2 Gbp). Then there are the … Continue reading
Posted in adaptation, Coevolution, evolution, genomics, microbiology, population genetics, selection
Tagged ecology, Evolution, genome streamlining, population genetics
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Shared patterns of genomic diversity across populations of distantly related taxa
Genomic diversity is shaped by the complex interplay between the effects of genetic drift and natural selection among populations. Several of these effects, especially those of linked selection at neutral sites, adaptive introgression, and barriers to migration (often called “genomic … Continue reading
The Hype Cycle of Ancient DNA
Recently I saw a graph that I’ve learnt is called the Hype Cycle and is a methodology used in assessment of new technologies and their marketing. What strikes me about it is how well it fits my own research field, … Continue reading
Posted in evolution, natural history, Paleogenomics, phylogenetics, population genetics, theory
Tagged ancient DNA, history, hype cycle
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Like Turtles, Terrapin Research Moves a Little Slow
Marlee Hayes wrote this post as a final project for Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her primary interests focus on challenges in conservation and sustainability. Previously, she evaluated fitness of post-hatchling Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), … Continue reading
Different ways to have sex, yet still be a weed
Baker (1955) noticed that when mates are lacking, the ability to undergo self-fertilization will greatly enhance colonization success. Uniparental reproduction seems to be common in colonizing species, whether it’s from a continent to an oceanic island, during a biological invasion or during range … Continue reading
Deep in the meadow, under the … seagrass, a bed of temporally stable diversity?
Genetically diverse populations are often more stable and productive. For habitat-forming organisms, such as seagrasses, this results in increased habitat complexity and more abundant associated communities (e.g., Hughes and Stachowicz 2004, Reusch et al. 2005). Spatial patterns of genetic diversity … Continue reading
Have we got the power?
Sabrina Heiser wrote this post as a final project for Stacy Krueger-Hadfield’s Science Communication course at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sabrina grew up in Germany, completed a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology at Plymouth University (UK) and then lived … Continue reading