Dr Andrew Beckerman– The University of Sheffield
Evolutionary Ecologist and Conservation Biologist working at the interface of Genes, Population, Food Webs… and Parrots
Aquatic Communities
-Algae and Daphnia Defences, Predator Induced Phenotypic Plasticity Food Webs
-Foraging Biology and the Structure and Complexity of Communities Parrots
-Conservation and Demography of Amazon Parrots with the World Parrot Trust
Research Focus: Investigating mechanisms of evolutionary change: genes to communities
Project Page: https://www.beckslab.staff.shef.ac.uk
Students:
- Tamora James
Dr Alison Wright– The University of Sheffield
Males and females of many species across the animal kingdom often look and behave very differently. However, the two sexes share an almost identical set of genes. So, how do these remarkable sec differences arise?
Sex chromosomes are the only region of the genome to differ between females and males, and are, therefore, predicted to play key roles in the evolution of sexual dimorphism. My research is centred on understanding the genomic and evolutionary processes underlying sex differences. In particular, I am interested in:
-the origins and turnover of sex chromosomes systems
– sex chromosomes degeneration
-role of the sex chromosomes in sexual dimorphism
-evolution of gene expression and dosage compensation
-genome evolution and sexual selection.
Research Focus: Investigating mechanisms of evolutionary change: genes to communities
Project Page: http://www.alisonewright.ac.uk
Students
- Thea Rogers
Professor Andy Fenton– The University of Liverpool
I am interested in understanding the occurrence and consequences of interactions between species in natural communities- with a particular focus on infectious diseases. My work focuses on the use of simple mathematical theory, coupled with experimental perturbations of natural systems, to reveal the extent to which species interact, and whether those interactions are important for the dynamics of each species, or the stability of the community as a whole.
In terms of infectious diseases, I am particularly interested in whether co-circulating and co-infecting parasite species interact inside hosts, and whether those interactions affect the host’s susceptibility to infection or disease by other parasites. I am also interested in how multiple host species combine to determine the transmission and persistence of parasites at the host community level.
Research Focus: Investigating mechanisms of evolutionary change: genes to communities
Project Page: https://www.liv.ac.uk/integrative-biology/staff/andrew-fenton/
Students:
- Bryony Allen
- Kayleigh Gallagher
- Shaun Keegan
accedtp.ac.uk 