Divergence, development and speciation in vertebrates.
Not stated
- Funding
- Self-Funded PhD Students Only
- Application deadline
- Year-round applications
About the project
About the Project How do the environment and ecology interact with genetics and development to produce reproductive isolation between populations, ecotypes and species? Thanks to advances in gene sequencing and editing technologies, we are in a remarkable period of discovery about the genomic and developmental basis of adaptation and speciation and how this depends on the intricacies of ecology and environment. We seek dynamic and motivated research students, with backgrounds in evolutionary, molecular, computational or developmental biology who are interested in the origins of ecological, developmental and genetic divergence between species. Projects are likely to involve some combination of ecological field work, bioinformatics, molecular and developmental biology (including CRISPR), to address questions about the nature and origins of speciation. Most of the research in the MacColl lab uses the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, as a model species, but proposals involving other species, especially zebra fish (Danio spp.) are welcome. The stickleback is a small temperate fish that is distributed across the northern hemisphere in marine and freshwater environments. It has a high quality genome sequence, a well understood ecology and excellent genetic resources, making it an outstanding model for studying the genomic basis of adaptation e.g. to different biotic and abiotic environments. We carry out much of our research on the Scottish island of North Uist where there is enormous phenotypic variation between populations inhabiting different aquatic environments. At present we are especially interested in questions relating to the role of energetic metabolism and development in adaptation (e.g. to differences in temperature, diet and salinity), and in the evolutionary loss of parental care. Projects will be based in the MacColl lab at the University of Nottingham, http://ecology.nottingham.ac.uk/AndrewMacColl/index.php , a friendly, dynamic and well-funded group, embedded in a wider cohesive group of ecologists and evolutionary biologists http://ecology.nottingham.ac.uk/index.html in the School of Life Sciences. Please contact Andrew to discuss possible project ideas. You must have, or be able to obtain, independent funding. The project will last 3 or 4 years and is available full-time or part-time. Both Home and International students are welcome to apply.