The Ecology and Evolution group at Vanderbilt includes faculty with diverse but complementary research interests. These focus on various ecological and genetic mechanisms of evolutionary divergence. Ongoing research investigates all stages of diversification (population differentiation, reproductive isolation, speciation, phylogenetic radiation) and several fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes (adaptation, ecological specialization, symbiosis, social interactions). Study systems include plants, reptiles, insects, and insect-associated microorganisms. Research approaches include field work, greenhouse studies, behavioral analysis, manipulative experiments, and diverse methods for the collection and analysis of molecular genetic data.
Patrick Abbot Assistant Professor
Social evolution, behavioral ecology, and molecular evolutionary genetics.
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Daniel J. Funk Speciation, phylogeny, herbivorous insects, molecular evolution
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David E. McCauley
Professor
Population-Level Studies in Plants and Insects
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Antonis Rokas
Assistant Professor
Phylogenetics, Molelular Evolution, Comparative Genomics, Origins of Multicellularity in Eukaryotes, Evolution of Genetic Pathways in Fungi
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