Mutations provide the vital raw material necessary for evolution and adaptation. New mutations occur regularly, generating genetic diversity- new heritable variation among individuals. However, how many of these new mutations generate variation in the traits of the individuals that carry them? And, most importantly for evolution by natural selection, how do new mutations impact fitness, the ability of individuals to survive and reproduce?
In my research I aim to understand the effects that mutations have on phenotypic traits, and hence fitness, by investigating factors that influence the relationship between genetic diversity and phenotypic diversity. At the between-species level these factors include life history traits and phylogenetic history. They also include elements of the genomic landscape such as level of pleiotropy, i.e., the extent to which single genes influence multiple different phenotypic traits, degree of gene network connectedness, redundancy, gene function, and level of robustness to mutation. My work often highlights the importance of long-term processes on patterns of molecular evolution; I have worked on uncovering patterns in amino acid substitutions, in addition to uncovering long-term trends in the molecular properties of protein domains with time.
In line with the goals of the DDLS Fellowship program, my research takes advantage of the incredible amount of genomic and proteomic data now available to fully explore the relationship between mutations, phenotypic variation and selection at multiple levels of evolution.