The Cutter Lab

[Evolutionary Genomics; Breeding System and Sex Ratio Evolution; Population Genetics; Molecular Evolution; Caenorhabditis; Evolution of Cooperation]

In the Cutter lab, we study the genetic basis of evolutionary change. We are particularly interested heritable changes through time with causes that are at the interface of natural selection and non-adaptive evolutionary forces. This involves applying population genetic and molecular evolutionary theory, where we focus principally on the nematode model organism C. elegans and its relatives as a study system. Research in our lab uses a combination of approaches, including computational analysis of genomic data, molecular biological methods to collect sequence polymorphism information, lab experiments, and construction of mathematical and simulation models. In our research, we are addressing such questions as:
*How do the fundamental processes of recombination and mutation influence genome evolution?
*How do demography, non-adaptive evolutionary forces, and natural selection shape genetic variation -- among individuals and across the genome?
*Has the evolution of self-fertilization left detectable footprints in the genome?

In addition to "trait-agnostic" genomic and sequence-based studies, we also use the exceptional experimental tractability of Caenorhabditis to test fundamental problems in evolution and to understand ecologically relevant phenotypes. For example, we are attempting to answer such questions as:
*What are the fitness effects of alternative alleles that control breeding system, mutation rate, dauer larva development, and behavior?
*How does natural selection act to optimize the evolution of sperm production in hermaphrodites?
*How heterogeneous are rates of mutation and gene conversion across the genome?
*What features characterize niche differentiation among populations and species of Caenorhabditis?
*How do genetic differences between species manifest as reproductive isolation?

In answering these questions, we focus on several classes of traits to elucidate the evolution of breeding system, dauer larva development, and thermal tolerance.

In ongoing work, we are characterizing genome-wide polymorphism within and among Caenorhabditis species that differ in breeding system to infer how these species have been affected by natural selection and demographic processes (population structure, changes in population size). We are also comparing genomic patterns of molecular evolution within the genus by focusing on targets of very weak natural selection (codon usage bias), reproduction-related genes, and combined-inference from microsatellite and SNP markers.

For more details, see the Projects page and our Publications, or find out more information about current research opportunities in the Cutter lab.

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