fast breaking papers - 2010
April 2010

Patrik Nosil talks with ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about this month's Fast Breaking Paper Paper in the field of Environment & Ecology.
	Article Title: Divergent selection and heterogeneous genomic divergence Authors: Nosil, P;Funk, DJ;Ortiz-Barrientos, D Journal: MOL ECOL, Volume: 18, Issue: 3, Page: 375-402, Year: FEB 2009 * Inst Adv Study, Wissensch Kolleg Berlin, Wallostr 19, D-14193 Berlin, Germany. * Univ British Columbia, Dept Zool, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. * Univ British Columbia, Biodivers Res Ctr, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. * Vanderbilt Univ, Dept Biol Sci, Nashville, TN 37235 USA. * Univ Queensland, Sch Integrat Biol, St Lucia, Qld 4702, Australia.

  Why do you think your paper is highly cited?

This article is likely highly cited because it provides both a conceptual and empirical review of a newly emerged field of study—"population genomics."

  Would you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

The article synthesizes our knowledge concerning how natural selection impacts the genome, and especially how natural selection creates differences in levels of genetic divergence across the genome.

  How did you become involved in this research, and were there any problems along the way?

This review article emerged from empirical "population genomic" studies conducted in two groups of insects. In both studies, my coauthors, Daniel Funk and Scott Egan of Vanderbilt University, and I identified genomic regions subject to natural selection. These empirical findings naturally then led into a review of the overall literature on genomic divergence.

  Where do you see your research leading in the future?

Recent advances in molecular biology ("next-generation sequencing") and computational approaches will allow the effects of natural selection on the genome to be examined in more precise, as well as new and creative, ways.

  Do you foresee any social or political implications for your research?

Understanding how natural selection affects the genome might increase our understanding of the origin and maintenance of genetic diversity.

Patrik Nosil, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Principal Investigator
Nosil Lab
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO, USA
Web | Web 

KEYWORDS: WHITEFISH COREGONUS-CLUPEAFORMIS; ADAPTIVE POPULATION DIVERGENCE; QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCI; BEBBIANAE LEAF BEETLES; DETECT CANDIDATE LOCI; HOST-PLANT ADAPTATION; DNA-SEQUENCE DATA; GENE FLOW; NATURAL-SELECTION; REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION.

Additional information:

Scott Eagan | Daniel Funk