Ph.D. opportunities in the Evolutionary Ecology of Plant-Insect Interactions Department of Biology at Syracuse University
I am looking for exceptional students who are interested in studying the evolutionary ecology of plant-insect interactions. I currently have up to two Ph.D. positions available for Fall 2007. One position has a one-year guaranteed research assistantship and both positions are guaranteed funding via teaching assistantships. The positions will be part of a project aimed at understanding how coevolution influences speciation. The work will focus on the association between yuccas and yucca moths. The interaction between yuccas and yucca moths is a textbook example of coevolution and specialization. Yucca moths are the sole pollinators of yuccas and yucca seeds are the exclusive food source for yucca moth larvae. Among the pollinator moths there is a high level of host fidelity. Twelve of seventeen pollinator species use only a single yucca species and of the remaining oligophagous moths, two use two host plant species, two use three, and one uses seven. Clearly, host plant specialization has featured prominently in the evolution of this lineage and provides an opportunity to examine how adaptation to host plants drives speciation in this coevolved lineage. We will be using a common garden experiment to examine whether host plant specialization influences speciation in an oligophagous yucca moth. Other projects in the lab center on molecular systematics, population genetics, and community ecology. For more information about these projects, visit my website at http://web.syr.edu/ ~ksegrave. All prospective students are encouraged to contact Kari Segraves via e-mail ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) and to complete a free on-line pre-application form available at http:// biology.syr.edu/graduatestudies/graduatepreapp.html. For Fall 2007 admittance, formal graduate applications should be received in early January 2007. Kari Segraves Assistant Professor Department of Biology Syracuse University 130 College Pl Syracuse, NY 13244 315-443-4899 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
