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Linking the genotype with the phenotype using comparative genomics, population genetics, biochemical analyses, and life-history trait analyses.
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Project 1: Bioenergetics and mitochondrial metabolism
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Mitochondria are the Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of life but the nature of their relationship with the cell’s nucleus remains to be determined. As Dr Jekyll, they are the “powerhouse of the cell” and produce 80% of our cell’s energy in the form of ATP, which is essential for life. But, as the misanthropic Mr. Hyde, mitochondria produce reactive oxygen species (also known as free radicals) as a by-product of normal metabolism. Reactive oxygen species damage DNA, cell membranes and lipids and are proposed to be a major contributor to cell and organismal death. Thus, a common feature across all animals, including humans, is that mitochondrial bioenergetics is linked to oxidative stress, but the nature of these relationships with the phenotype of the organism has yet to be properly defined. A continuing goal is to define this relationship in Drosophila.
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Project 2: Dietary restriction and longevity
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Animals that eat less live longer – up to a point. The view that dietary restriction without malnutrition prolongs life has become a central tenet in gerontology. Recently we challenged this view with experiments suggesting that specific nutrients (proteins and certain amino acids) rather than energy are responsible. Resolving this debate is critical if we are to understand the mechanistic and evolutionary bases of ageing.
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Project 3: The coevolution of hosts and their symbionts.
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When two species interact extensively, each exerts strong selection on the other. When one evolves a new feature or modifies an old one, the other typically evolves new adaptations in response. As the Red Queen told Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Through the looking Glass, “Here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place”. The work with Drosophila and Wolbachia has the potential to be a definitive test of a general model of host-symbiont dynamics. This diversity of interactions combined with the experimental tractability of the system provides a unique opportunity to model this dynamic and intriguing system.
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Project 4: Molecular systematics of Aedes mosquitoes
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The project is to investigate the systematics and biogeography of the Aedes mosquitoes using morphological and molecular data. The genus contains medically significant vectors and the project will embraces the international debate concerning nomenclature of species within the genus.
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Project 5: Genetic variation in the Amphipod Zeidler's Melita
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The bright yellow canary was an early coalminer's insurance policy. Carried below ground in cages, the animals were highly sensitive to traces of methane and carbon monoxide gas and provided forewarning of potential explosions, poisoned air or both. Amphipod crustaceans are environmental canaries. We will examine three hypotheses relating genetic variation in Zeidler's Melita.
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