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RESEARCH
What drives parallel or convergent evolution?
Similar evolutionary changes arising in independently evolving populations, known as parallel or convergent evolution, are often taken to be evidence of strong selection. However, heterogeneity in mutation rate across the genome has the potential to play an equally important role. The relative contribution of these two processes and the potential for other factors to further modify patterns of parallel evolution in natural populations is still unclear and difficult to test. However, replicated experiments evolving populations of microbes have begun to provide some insight into the drivers of parallel evolution. I use a combination of experimental and statistical approaches to explore these important processes, with the ultimate goal of trying to understand if and when evolution is predictable. Watch my talk on this theme as part of the ASN Young Investigators Prize symposium at the Evolution 2016 meeting.
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Evolution in heterogeneous environments
The world is heterogeneous across many spatial and temporal scales, and these complexities have important implications for the dynamics of evolution. The particular evolutionary outcome that is realized depends on a number of factors, both ecological – e.g. strength and type of competition, and genetic – e.g. trade-offs in adaptation to multiple niches. I examine the effects of a number of these factors using both theoretical models and evolution experiments in the lab, aiming to better understand the processes that play important roles in populations living and evolving in the complex natural world.
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Other ongoing projects
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Models and experimental tests of biocontrol approaches (arxiv preprint; ongoing collaboration with Rana Parshad)
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Fitness effects of synonymous mutations (Bailey et al 2015; Lebeuf-Taylor et al 2019; ongoing collaboration with Rees Kassen and his group)
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Infering genotypes from pooled sequence data (ongoing collaboration with Paula Tataru)
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Characterizing changes in mutation rate over time in experimentally evolved populations of E. coli (ongoing collaboration with Isabel Gordo and her group)
Past work
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Population dynamics in spatially heterogeneous environments (Bailey & McCauley 2009)
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Modelling the evolution of "empty flowers" (Bailey et al 2008)
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