These genetic data are used to examine patterns of mating, genetic drift, and gene flow in the population. Fieldwork will involve mapping plant populations, conducting hand pollinations, and collecting tissue samples for electrophoresis. Mechanisms of Aging in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. My laboratory group is testing the role of the tandemly repeated ribosomal DNA region and the telomeres in this process. Dna2p and other proteins of the post replicational repair pathway using nucleolar and telomeric immunostaining, sterility testing, and examination of the formation of extrachromosomal rDNA circles.
Students can choose to do field or labwork.
Fieldwork involves setting up and regularly monitoring reproductive behavior and breeding success at a local fieldsite. We will also be conducting field experiments on these birds. This is excellent preparation for students wishing to work on this project in the Eastern Sierras or the tropics this summer. Students wanting lab experience can assist in analyzing the structure and frequency of songs produced by birds in different social environments to determine whether vocal behavior is a predictor of mating strategies. Recent efforts to sequence the genomes of humans and other model organisms have resulted in a HUGE increase in genetic data, yet the function of the majority of these sequences remains unknown.