My lizard work was largely focused on evolution in the past (via phylogenetic approaches) or present (via demographic and quantitative-genetic approaches), but was largely descriptive. I had long been impressed by the experimental approaches of Richard Levins (see Phenotypic plasticity) and of Michael Rose. Their studies (plus years of carping from Bob Paine, a colleague here) eventually prompted me to try to develop experimental approaches to studying physiological evolution. I had the good fortune to collaborate with Linda Partridge, who taught me fly basics. Eventually, I decided to switch to Drosophila, an organism that would allow experimental studies of responses to selection (laboratory natural selection as well as artificial selection), as well as facilitate studies of the adaptive significance of phenotypic plasticity.
My main fly project at present is a collaborative study of rapid evolution in natural populations of an invading fly, Drosophila subobscura. These new studies tell us whether patterns seen in the lab actually hold in nature, and also allow us to investigate the speed and predictability of evolution on a continental scale. These studies are being made in collaboration with George Gilchrist (College of William & Mary) and Luís Serra, Joan Balanya, and Marta Pascual (University of Barcelona).
Experimental Evolution
Rapid Evolution in Nature
Phenotypic Plasticity
| 1991. | Thermal sensitivity of Drosophila melanogaster responds rapidly to laboratory natural selection. Evolution 45:751-756. (First author, with L. Partridge and K. Fowler). |
| 1995. | Chromosomal analysis of heat-shock resistance in Drosophila melanogaster evolving at different temperatures in the laboratory. Evolution 49:676-684. (Fourth author, with S. Cavicchi, D. Guerra, and V. LaTorre). |
| 1999. | Testing the adaptive significance of acclimation: a strong inference approach. American Zoologist 39:135-148. (First author, with D. Berrigan, G. W. Gilchrist, and J. C. Herron). |
| 1999. | The direct response of Drosophila melanogaster to selection on knock-down temperature. Heredity 83:15-29. (Second author, with G. W. Gilchrist). |
| 2003. | Mutation, performance, fitness. Integrative and Comparative Biology 43:387-395 (first author, with G. W. Gilchrist, K. Ward, L. Maves, D. Pepin, and D. Houle). |
| 2000. | Rapid evolution of a latitudinal cline in body size in an introduced fly. Science 287(5451):308-9. (First author, with G. W. Gilchrist, and M. Carlsen). |
| 2001. | Rapid evolution of wing size clines in Drosophila subobscura. Genetica 112-113:273-286. (Second author, with G. W. Gilchrist, and L. Serra). (special issue, edited by Andrew P. Hendry and Michael T. Kinnison). |
| 2003. | Evolutionary pace of chromosomal polymorphism in colonizing populations of Drosophila subobscura: an evolutionary time series. Evolution 57;1837-1845. (Fourth author, with J. Balanyà, L. Serra, G. W. Gilchrist, M. Pascual, F. Mestres, and E. Solé). |
| 2004. | A time series of evolution in action: Latitudinal cline in wing size in South American Drosophila subobscura. Evolution 58:768-780. (Second author with G. W. Gilchrist, J. Balanyà, M. Pascual, and L. Serra). |
| 2004. | Plastic and genetic variation in wing loading as a function of temperature within and among parallel clines in Drosophila subobscura. Integrative and Comparative Biology 44:461-470. (Second author, with G. W. Gilchrist). |
| 2005. | Using invasive species to study evolution. In: Species invasions: insights to ecology, evolution and biogeography. Pp. 139-164 in D.F. Sax, S.D. Gaines and J.J. Stachowicz, eds. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. (First author, with G. W. Gilchrist, and A. P. Hendry |
| 2006. | Global genetic change tracks global climate warming in Drosophila subobscura. Science 313:1773-1775. (third author with J. Balanyá, J. M. Oller, G. W. Gilchrist, and L. Serra.) |
| 2007. | Response to Comment on "Global Genetic Change Tracks Global Climate Warming in Drosophila subobscura". Science 315:1497b. (third author with J. Balanyá, J. M. Oller, G. W. Gilchrist, and L. Serra.) |
| 2007. | Plastic and genetic variation in wing loading as a function of temperature within and among parallel clines in Drosophila subobscura. Integrative and Comparative Biology 44:461-470. (Second author, with G. W. Gilchrist). |
| 2007. | Introduction history of Drosophila subobscura in the New World: a microsatellite based survey using ABC methods. Molecular Ecology 16:3069-3083. (fifth author with M. Pascual, M.P. Chapuis, F. Mestres, J. Balanyà, RB Huey, G.W. Gilchrist, L. Serra, and A. Estoup.) |
| 2007. | Response to Comment on "Global Genetic Change Tracks Global Climate Warming in Drosophila subobscura". Science 315:1497b. (third author with J. Balanyá, J. M. Oller, G. W. Gilchrist, and L. Serra.) |
| 2007. | Life History consequences of temperature transients in Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Experimental Biology 210:2897-2904. (Third author, with M. E. Dillon and L. R. Y.Cahn). |
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