Speciation is the name of the processes that leads to the evolution of new species.

 

Since Charles Darwin suggested that natural selection could be the driver of evolutionary change, much research has been devoted to try to understand exactly how new species arise. Traditionally, speciation has been explained by restricted gene-flow due to geographical isolation, but more recent research also emphasize the importance of natural selection in speciation processes.

 

Recent development of high-throughput genomic sequencing has allowed scientists to begin to discuss the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation. Which genes cause reproductive isolation; are there many or just one? Why do they cause reproductive isolation? Do genes involved in reproductive isolation diverge due to adaptation or drift?

 

Advances in technology have made it possible to isolate particular genes and causes for reproductive isolation, but we are still struggling to understand general patterns of speciation processes. Is each speciation process unique, or are there common features of several speciation events? Can a certain gene or ecological or geographical situation repeatedly cause speciation?

 

My research interest is to understand speciation from a genomic perspective.

 

 

Evolution of mosquito species complexes

 

My approach has been to look at the molecular variation and biogeographical history of several closely related species complexes in order to develop criteria for species delineation. I have also investigated how species ecology and climate change impact on population structure and speciation.

 

 

Genomics of worms

 

In order to harness genomic data for use in speciation studies, I have begun to learn the skills of assembling genomes derived from 454 and Solexa data. I also want to identify and annotate genes using transcriptome sequencing, gene orthology and gene finding algorithms.

 

Learn more about speciation:

 

Species and gene-flow

http://www.botany.ubc.ca/people/whitton/2001-RundleJEvolBiol.pdf

 

Ecological speciation

http://www.science.uottawa.ca/~hrund050/Publications/2005.%20Rundle%20&%20Nosil.%20Ecol.%20Let%20(speciation%20review).pdf

 

The problem of defining species

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species_problem