> Research Interests & Current Projects:

Causes of genetic structure and the implications of genetic structure for the evolution of social behavior, local adaptation, and speciation

The degree of correspondence between patterns of gene flow and the spatial scale over which selection varies provides the basic microevolutionary framework for interpreting patterns of phenotypic variation in any adaptively significant trait. In the case of traits such as mating and allorecognition systems, the genetic structure of a population itself - because it determines the relatedness of interactors - constitutes one of the most important elements of the selective regime.

My research continues to emphasize the analysis of genetic structure in natural populations, the effects of larval dispersal and behavior on structure, and how genetic structure relates to patterns of selection and the evolution of social behavior (e.g., Eppley et al. 1998; Hart and Grosberg 1999; Grosberg and Cunningham 2001).