James Lewis
Clemson University, SC·Ecology & Evolution·Early-career
Many traits evolve through small changes at many genes spread across the genome, a process called polygenic adaptation. It is thought to be the most common way organisms adapt.
- Fields
Ecology & Evolution
Genetics
- Topics
polygenic adaptation
butterflies
Lepidoptera
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2029
What they work on
- Identify the genetic architecture and molecular mechanisms behind a polygenic, male-specific wing color and pattern mimicry trait in a model butterfly, using functional and quantitative genomics.
- Connect these molecular mechanisms to the evolutionary processes that drove the adaptive gain of the polymorphism, using population genomics.
- Test whether the polygenic mimicry trait is driving population differentiation and speciation in the butterfly.
More about the research
Even so, little is known about how it works at the molecular level, or whether new polygenic traits help split populations apart and form new species.
Why it matters
The work could clarify how the most common form of adaptation works, from genes to whole populations. It could also show how new traits help form new species. These insights may help explain how organisms respond to selection pressures in general.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
John E Pool
University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI·Ecology & Evolution
Develop a genomic authentication pipeline that detects contamination in Drosophila lab stocks and characterizes their genomes, applying it to 200 widely studied stocks.
Patricia Wittkopp
University of Michigan, MI·Genetics
Identify the genes and specific DNA changes behind trait differences within and between fruit fly (Drosophila) species, and determine how they alter molecular, cellular and developmental processes.
Michael Goodisman
Georgia Institute of Technology, GA·Ecology & Evolution
Estimate genetic correlations for body-form traits among queens, males, and workers in social insects, testing whether shared genetic architecture constrains how far castes and sexes can diverge in morphology.
The school
Clemson University: 19 labs on PI Pages, $339M a year on research, 297 research doctorates a year.
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