I am broadly interested
in regulatory processes in
development and in the evolution
of developmental mechanisms.
There are three main lines
of research ongoing in my
laboratory. The first deals
with the control of polyphenic
development in insects. In
polyphenic development, hormones
control a switch between
alternative developmental
pathways so the individuals
with identical genotypes
can develop dramatically
different phenotypes. My
studies and those of my students
have dealt with the control
of sequential polyphenisms
in various insects.
The second line of research
deals with the development
and evolution of pattern
formation mechanisms. This
research has focussed on
the development and evolution
of pigment patterns in butterflies.
Ongoing research deals with
the genetics of mimicry and
with the elucidation of how
intercellular signals regulate
the precise spatial pattern
of pigment synthesis.
The third line of research
deals with the genetics and
evolution of complex traits.
Complex traits are features
that are controlled by many
genes and whose inheritance
does not follow the simple
rules of Mendelian genetics.
We are working on methods
of computing complex phenotypes
based on the characteristic
of developmental systems
and on methods for deducing
and predicting the (usually
variable) correlations between
genetic change (such as mutations)
and the phenotype. We are
particularly interested in
how genetic variation affects
the development and evolution
of complex traits and in
the evolution of developmental
stability.
