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Terry Grande

Professor, Graduate Program Director

Disciplines

  • Biology

Research Interests

  • My research focuses on understanding the evolutionary relationships and historical biogeography of teleost fishes using morphology, paleontology, molecular biology as data sources. A group called the Ostariophysi has been the focus of my work because of its importance both economically and scientifically. It is a group consisting of over 75% of all freshwater fish species, it has a world wide geographic distribution and an fossil record dating to the Early Cretaceous (over 60 million years). An understanding of this group is central to an understanding of fish evolution in general.

Heather Wheeler

Professor

Disciplines

  • Biology
  • Computer Sciences

Research Interests

  • Genome-wide analyses of the past few years have revealed that a substantial portion of the genetic control of complex traits is exerted through the regulation of gene expression. Much of the genetic variation associated with complex traits falls outside the protein coding regions of genes. Mechanistic understanding of how this variation contributes to phenotype is lacking, but gene regulation is thought to play a major role. We develop and apply methods that fully harness gene regulation within complex trait association and prediction studies.

Nancy Tuchman

Professor and Founding Director of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability

Disciplines

  • Life Sciences

Research Interests

  • Human impacts to aquatic ecosystems are widespread and varied
  • from direct (e.g. point-source pollution, hydrologic disturbance) to indirect impacts (e.g. increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations). Throughout my career, I have explored a range of human impacts to aquatic ecosystem structure and function, spanning from investigating the impact of introduced exotic zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on Great Lakes ecosystems, the effects of elevated CO2-altered leaf litter on stream ecosystem food-webs, to the effects of emerging contaminants such as plasticizers (Bisphenol-A), and pharmaceuticals (e.g. antibiotics and endocrine disruptors) on streams and lakes. Presently, my lab is focused on exploring ecological impacts of invasive plant species on Great Lakes coastal wetland ecosystems.
  • Great Lakes coastal wetlands are experiencing widespread increases in the spread and dominance of the aggressive invasive plants Typha x glauca (hybrid cattail) and Phragmites australis (common reed), resulting in reduced species diversity and altered ecological functioning. Since 2002, we have explored the community and ecosystem impacts of Typha on Great Lakes coastal wetland ecosystems, mechanisms of Typha dominance at community and regional scales, and the long-term impacts of Typha on nitrogen cycling and ecosystem functioning. Since 2010, we have begun exploring and developing environmentally and economically sustainable restoration options for controlling Typha. Specifically, we are examining the effects of experimental Typha removal as an alternative to burning or herbiciding, on plant and invertebrate communities and wetland biogeochemistry

Sushma Reddy

Assistant Professor

Disciplines

  • Biology

Research Interests

  • My research covers a broad range of topics related to evolution and genetics, primarily using birds as the subject. To date, these subjects include molecular evolution, phylogenetics, biogeography, diversification, patterns of diversity, and conservation. In terms of evolutionary genetics, my research scope includes divergences within species groups to the entire class Aves, utilizing both genomic-scale data and ancient/historical DNA techniques. My two main research programs involve deciphering the deep branches of the avian tree of life and using genetic data to examine species-limits and diversification across tropical Asia. Additional interests focus on issues of biogeography, particularly the geography of speciation, and biodiversity conservation. In my lab, we use DNA sequence data to reconstruct evolutionary history. We also compare the genetic signal to other aspects such as morphological characters to examine the correlation of genotype and phenotype as well as species ranges to examine gene flow, distributional patterns, and the potential impact of the various geological and climatic changes on diversification.

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  1. Department of Biology

Discipline

    1. Biology 12
    2. Life Sciences 2
    3. Bioinformatics 1
    4. Computer Sciences 1
    5. Biochemistry 1

Research Interest

    1. Genome-wide analyses of the past few years have revealed that a substantial portion of the genetic control of complex traits is exerted through the regulation of gene expression. Much of the genetic variation associated with complex traits falls outside the protein coding regions of genes. Mechanistic understanding of how this variation contributes to phenotype is lacking, but gene regulation is thought to play a major role. We develop and apply methods that fully harness gene regulation within complex trait association and prediction studies. 1
    2. Great Lakes coastal wetlands are experiencing widespread increases in the spread and dominance of the aggressive invasive plants Typha x glauca (hybrid cattail) and Phragmites australis (common reed), resulting in reduced species diversity and altered ecological functioning. Since 2002, we have explored the community and ecosystem impacts of Typha on Great Lakes coastal wetland ecosystems, mechanisms of Typha dominance at community and regional scales, and the long-term impacts of Typha on nitrogen cycling and ecosystem functioning. Since 2010, we have begun exploring and developing environmentally and economically sustainable restoration options for controlling Typha. Specifically, we are examining the effects of experimental Typha removal as an alternative to burning or herbiciding, on plant and invertebrate communities and wetland biogeochemistry 1
    3. Human impacts to aquatic ecosystems are widespread and varied 1
    4. My research covers a broad range of topics related to evolution and genetics, primarily using birds as the subject. To date, these subjects include molecular evolution, phylogenetics, biogeography, diversification, patterns of diversity, and conservation. In terms of evolutionary genetics, my research scope includes divergences within species groups to the entire class Aves, utilizing both genomic-scale data and ancient/historical DNA techniques. My two main research programs involve deciphering the deep branches of the avian tree of life and using genetic data to examine species-limits and diversification across tropical Asia. Additional interests focus on issues of biogeography, particularly the geography of speciation, and biodiversity conservation. In my lab, we use DNA sequence data to reconstruct evolutionary history. We also compare the genetic signal to other aspects such as morphological characters to examine the correlation of genotype and phenotype as well as species ranges to examine gene flow, distributional patterns, and the potential impact of the various geological and climatic changes on diversification. 1
    5. My research focuses on understanding the evolutionary relationships and historical biogeography of teleost fishes using morphology, paleontology, molecular biology as data sources. A group called the Ostariophysi has been the focus of my work because of its importance both economically and scientifically. It is a group consisting of over 75% of all freshwater fish species, it has a world wide geographic distribution and an fossil record dating to the Early Cretaceous (over 60 million years). An understanding of this group is central to an understanding of fish evolution in general. 1

Organization

    1. Department of Biology

Position

    1. Faculty Member 14