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The evolution of life histories

3/26/2015

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I have the most amazing colleagues. Specifically, folks at the Centre de Biologie et Gestion des Populations (CBGP) in France are just so great. I did a sabbatical there 2009-2010, and we're still writing stuff up.

This month a paper will be coming out in Nature Communications on the evolution of life histories. Benoit Facon is the corresponding author and the true leader of the research. We studied life-history evolution in colonies of Harmonia axyridis used in biological control of aphid pests and in invasive populations in North America and Europe. Relative to native populations, biological control populations have evolved a classic "fast" life history. They live fast and die young, literally. In contrast, invasive populations, which across many species are often assumed to follow a fast life history, are actually bet hedgers. They reproduce for a long, long, long time. They live long and prosper. So long, that their total fecundity is much higher than the native or biological control populations. It's such cool stuff to see how quickly and radically life histories evolve under different selective regimes, and it reveals much about those selective regimes.

The big mystery in my mind is how the heck do the invaders have higher fitness over all? Purging of deleterious recessives as we suggest in this Current Biology paper? How? That is the true mystery of invasive populations. What enables them, even when grown under common conditions, to achieve higher fitness?

The work was truly collaborative, and such a pleasure to be part of. I really have the best job in the world, and with a little luck, I'll get to go back to CBGP and have a whole new round of fun things to write about.
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Start of a new year and a new class

1/7/2015

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Happy 2015. I'm starting out the year giving myself a little space to ponder - here.

I have two people I'm collaborating on NSF postdoc proposals with, and one (or maybe two if I can get my act together) pre proposals I'm submitting, plus three classes starting up, all in the next 2 weeks.

I'm excited about all of them! But I'd like to tell my past self, that really, next year, I need to get on the ball a bit earlier. That would make everything easier to handle with a little more grace.

One of the classes is brand new - a graduate seminar on Women in Science. My husband accused me of navel gazing, but really, while being a scientist, I've kept my nose to the grindstone a lot, and just tried to ignore annoyances, and feel I have so much to learn to be able to be a better mentor to my students, male and female, to be a better colleague, especially to new assistant professors, to be a better teacher, and to be better at various duties that come under administration, including involvement in searches for new faculty. I'm really excited, and fairly nervous, about the seminar. A draft of the syllabus is up here. I welcome feedback!
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    Ruth Hufbuaer

    Occasional thoughts about academia and science, and stuff. I like....  stuff

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