Overview: In the Willett lab we study the genetic basis of evolutionary processes, specifically, the genetics of adaptation and speciation. Current work has focused on an intertidal copepod species, Tigriopus californicus, as a model for the study of the early stages of speciation. We have studied both environmentally dependent (specifically temperature adaptation) and independent forms of postzygotic reproductive isolation in this system.
Other interests of the lab include:
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The genetics of pheromone communication in moths (related to premating reproductive isolation) -
Conservation genetics: Outbreeding depression, population genetics of threatened species
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Connecting physiological processes to fitness differences between populations or individuals
