The core goal of my research is to understand how and why variation exists in nature. On the "how" side of things: how do changes at the DNA level give rise to changes in how organisms look and behave? On the "why" side of things: why do differences in the way organisms look and behave impact their ability to survive and reproduce? More generally, how do organisms adapt to new conditions and why do some changes lead to the formation of entirely new species? To answer these questions, my research group integrates fieldwork, lab experiments, genetic crosses, genomics, and evolutionary theory to characterize patterns and mechanisms of divergence. Our focal study organisms are a group of insects that my lab has developed as a premier model system for understanding the genetic basis of adaptation and speciation: pine sawflies in the genus Neodiprion (Order: Hymenoptera; Family: Diprionidae). We have chosen to focus on this group of insects because they are locally abundant, experimentally tractable, have a rich natural history literature, and harbor variation in many different types of traits both within and between species. Please see our website for more details on current projects!
