Dr. David Richardson, visiting from University of East Anglia, UK will present "Genomes, genes and microbes; understanding host-pathogen (?) coevolution using island populations of birds".
Learn more about his research here: David S. Richardson's lab – evolutionary biology and conservation research (wordpress.com)
ABSTRACT: Microbes play a major role in shaping host genetic variation, impacting host population dynamics, divergence, and persistence. I will outline how we can use divergent island bird populations to identify which genes interact with pathogens, then how we investigate variation at such genes across generations within populations to understand how selection acts. Finally, I’ll describe how we have expanded this work into investigating the causes and fitness consequences of gut microbiome variation in such island bird populations.
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