Nice Lab Personel
Interests: I have research interests in evolutionary ecology and population biology. Current projects include investigations of: 1) hybrid speciation in butterflies, 2) the role of host associations in driving differentiation in phytophagous insects, 3) comparative population genetics and phylogeography of spring endemic organisms in the Texas Hill country, 4) the importance of sequestered chemical defenses in herbivorous insects, 5) the significance of gregarious behaviors in butterflies, and 6) the origins and maintenance of a gynogenetic hybrid fish species.
Chris Nice - Head Nerd
Michelle is investigating the consequences of host plant switches in the butterfly genus Mitoura, the juniper hairstreak butterflies. Her work combines ecological experiments and population genetic analyses to quantify and understand the evolution of host-associated differentiation.
Michelle Downey - Graduate Student
Josh is using molecular genetic markers to understand the geographic patterns of genetic variation within the endangered Peck's cave amphipod (Stygobromus pecki) and closely related species. These amphipods are endemic to springs and caves in the Texas Hill Country and Josh's project is designed to address questions regarding their evolutionary history, phylogeography and conservation biology.
Josh Ethridge - Graduate Student
My main interest is to investigate the maintenance of unisexual-bisexual mating systems. The Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa, is a gynogenetic fish that arose from an hybridization event between a female shortfin molly, P. mexicana, and a male sailfin molly, P. latipinna about 100,000 years ago. Poecilia formosa is therefore a species that consists of only females and depends on the sperm of the parental species to start embryogenesis. As a result, it has to live in sympatry with either parental species and depends on them for its persistence. At the same time, male P. latipinna and P. mexicana should avoid mating with gynogens because they obtain no obvious direct or indirect fitness from such matings. Although many studies have been performed it is still not clear what mechanisms may be influencing the males' mate choice when both conspecific and gynogenetic heterospecific females are present in a population I am currently testing a few hypotheses by performing experiments in a semi-natural environment rather than in a laboratory setting to be able to assess how population dynamics may affect male mate choice.
Laura Alberici Da Barbiano - Graduate Student
Tera and Chris are using molecular genetic analyses to test the hypothesis that the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia has facilitated mitochondrial DNA selective sweeps in the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly, Lycaeides melissa samuelis. They are examining the prevalence and distribution of Wolbachia infection in the Karners and using a multi-locus sequence typing data base to identify the strain(s) present.
Tera Eulenfeld - Undergraduate Researcher
The Graduated

Tina Gonzales, M.S. 2008.

Clay Williams, M.S. 2008.

Lauren Lucas, M.S. 2006

Zachariah Gompert, M.S. 2006.

Maureen Spencer, M.S. 2005.

Dijar Lutz-Carillo, M.S. 2004.
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