Dr. David W. Foltz

Professor

Research in my laboratory is concerned with the molecular evolutionary genetics of marine invertebrate species. Much of the research has been motivated by empirical studies of DNA and protein variation over the past two decades showing that some nominal marine invertebrate taxa, including several common or commercially-important species, are apparently complexes of cryptic species with varying degrees of morphological divergence and reproductive isolation. The questions addressed concern rates of evolution, patterns of lineage splitting and extinction, and the roles of geological events and various life history factors in shaping the population genetic structures of these species. The goals of this research are to test hypotheses about the various evolutionary factors affecting genetic structure, rates of sequence divergence for both nuclear and organelle genes, and frequency of hybridization in various cryptic species complexes. Organisms studied include marine bivalves, other marine and freshwater molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans. Other related projects that are on-going in my laboratory include a study of pollution tolerance in a cryptic species complex of harpacticoid copepods.

Relevant to the biota of the Gulf of Mexico, Dr. Foltz has published the following:

Sarver, S. K., M. C. Landrum, and D. W. Fotlz. 1992. Genetics and taxonomy of ribbed mussels (Geukensia spp.). Marine Biology 113: 385–390.