Tristan A.F. Long - PhD

As an evolutionary geneticist, I am interested in studying the genetic conflicts that arise within species when different groups of individuals (and their genes) are subject to divergent selective pressures. Nature is replete with conflict, much of which stems from the fact that there are too few assets (be they nutrients, shelters, mates etc...) to satisfy the needs of everyone, and that the fitness maximizing strategies of some individuals are often incompatible with those of others. Unlike in other systems where evolutionary conflicts exist (e.g. in predator-prey or host-parasite systems), when conflict arises within a species (such as between males and females over reproductive decisions, or between maternally and paternally-inherited genes), both groups are forced to share the same gene pool. This sets the stage for evolution to proceed in an antagonistic manner, where selection may favour the spread of traits in a population that increase reproductive success in one group, even if they come at the expense of the fitness of the other group. Ultimately such intra-specific conflicts could result in an open-ended co-evolutionary 'arms race' for manipulative traits in one group, and selection for resistance to manipulation in the other, and may be an extremely important factor in shaping a species' evolutionary trajectory.

Viewing selection processes though this antagonistic framework is a fairly new approach, but has the potential to revolutionize the field of evolutionary biology. To investigate these processes, I employ a number of different, but complementary approaches: (1) experiments involving laboratory-based "island" populations of model organisms (2) cytogenetic cloning techniques to capture and replicate genome-wide haplotypes of model organisms which can then be assayed for traits relevant to fitness in both sexes, (3) the experimental evolution of laboratory populations in order to elucidate the manner and tempo of evolutionary change and (4) comparative interspecific studies of phenotypic variation in fitness-relevant traits. Ultimately, the long-tern goal of my research is to understand how genetic conflicts fuel the processes of adaptive change by promoting evolutionary arms races.

I am currently working as a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Bill Rice at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in sunny California where I am investigating intralocus sexual conflict.

Sexual Conflict in Insect Evolution

I recently (July 2005) completed my PhD in biology at Queen's University, working under the co-supervision of Dr. Bob Montgomerie and Dr. Adam Chippindale in the fields of behavioral and evolutionary ecology. My research has focused on the process of sexually antagonistic coevolution and its role in speciation. In many species, males and females do not always share the same interests on matters relating to reproduction, be it the frequency, the number, the duration or the investment in mating events. The divergence of interests sets the stage for an evolutionary tug-of-war between males and females. Any adaptation that arises and results in greater reproductive success of one sex, even if it comes a the expense of the other sex, should be selected for. Similarly, the evolution of counter-adaptations in other sex will be favoured, theoretically, leading to a biological arms race. By using multiple lines of Drosophila melanogaster that were derived from the same base population have been keep genetically isolated from each other for many (>600) generations, I am able to study how, all else being equal, the extent to which sexually antagonistic coevolution contributes to divergence in morphology, physiology and behaviour. Please visit my publications page to see the result of this, and my other, studies, or you can read my whole thesis here.

Testing Relationships Between Asymmetry and Fitness

While I was at the University of Guelph, persuing my MSc in zoology, my reseaarch focused on the study of fluctuating asymmetry in deer mice. This work was done under the supervision of Dr. John Fryxell. Here is the abstract from my thesis.

The study of subtle deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry (fluctuating asymmetry) has been proposed a means of easily quantifying fitness at both the individual and the population levels of biological organization. Its application in the fields of conservation and evolutionary biology is controversial, as empirical tests of the hypothesized correlations among asymmetry, stress and fitness have yielded inconsistent results. I tested whether mandibular asymmetry correlated with female fecundity (at the individual level) and/or Malthusian fitness (at the population level) in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis (Le Conte) obtained from a 21-year study in Algonquin Park, Ontario. At the individual level, asymmetry was a poor predictor of litter size or body size. At the population level, however, the amount of asymmetry in the breeding population was strongly related to variation in environmental conditions. I propose a hypothesis to explain these observations that incorporates mouse reproductive physiology and ecology. I presented these findings (in poster form) at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Zoologists in Sudbury (May 2001), and gave a talk at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (August 2001).



As an evolutionary geneticist, I am interested in studying the genetic conflicts that arise within species when different groups of individuals (and their genes) are subject to divergent selective pressures. Nature is replete with conflict, much of which stems from the fact that there are too few assets (be they nutrients, shelters, mates etc...) to satisfy the needs of everyone, and that the fitness maximizing strategies of some individuals are often incompatible with those of others. Unlike in other systems where evolutionary conflicts exist (e.g. in predator-prey or host-parasite systems), when conflict arises within a species (such as between males and females over reproductive decisions, or between maternally and paternally-inherited genes), both groups are forced to share the same gene pool. This sets the stage for evolution to proceed in an antagonistic manner, where selection may favour the spread of traits in a population that increase reproductive success in one group, even if they come at the expense of the fitness of the other group. Ultimately such intra-specific conflicts could result in an open-ended co-evolutionary 'arms race' for manipulative traits in one group, and selection for resistance to manipulation in the other, and may be an extremely important factor in shaping a species' evolutionary trajectory. Viewing selection processes though this antagonistic framework is a fairly new approach, but has the potential to revolutionize the field of evolutionary biology. To investigate these processes, I employ a number of different, but complementary approaches: (1) experiments involving laboratory-based "island" populations of model organisms (2) cytogenetic cloning techniques to capture and replicate genome-wide haplotypes of model organisms which can then be assayed for traits relevant to fitness in both sexes, (3) the experimental evolution of laboratory populations in order to elucidate the manner and tempo of evolutionary change and (4) comparative interspecific studies of phenotypic variation in fitness-relevant traits. Ultimately, the long-tern goal of my research is to understand how genetic conflicts fuel the processes of adaptive change by promoting evolutionary arms races. I am currently working as a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. Bill Rice at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in sunny California where I am investigating intralocus sexual conflict. Sexual Conflict in Insect Evolution I recently (July 2005) completed my PhD in biology at Queen's University, working under the co-supervision of Dr. Bob Montgomerie and Dr. Adam Chippindale in the fields of behavioral and evolutionary ecology. My research has focused on the process of sexually antagonistic coevolution and its role in speciation. In many species, males and females do not always share the same interests on matters relating to reproduction, be it the frequency, the number, the duration or the investment in mating events. The divergence of interests sets the stage for an evolutionary tug-of-war between males and females. Any adaptation that arises and results in greater reproductive success of one sex, even if it comes a the expense of the other sex, should be selected for. Similarly, the evolution of counter-adaptations in other sex will be favoured, theoretically, leading to a biological arms race. By using multiple lines of Drosophila melanogaster that were derived from the same base population have been keep genetically isolated from each other for many (>600) generations, I am able to study how, all else being equal, the extent to which sexually antagonistic coevolution contributes to divergence in morphology, physiology and behaviour. Please visit my publications page to see the result of this, and my other, studies, or you can read my whole thesis here. Testing Relationships Between Asymmetry and Fitness While I was at the University of Guelph, persuing my MSc in zoology, my reseaarch focused on the study of fluctuating asymmetry in deer mice. This work was done under the supervision of Dr. John Fryxell. Here is the abstract from my thesis. The study of subtle deviations from perfect bilateral symmetry (fluctuating asymmetry) has been proposed a means of easily quantifying fitness at both the individual and the population levels of biological organization. Its application in the fields of conservation and evolutionary biology is controversial, as empirical tests of the hypothesized correlations among asymmetry, stress and fitness have yielded inconsistent results. I tested whether mandibular asymmetry correlated with female fecundity (at the individual level) and/or Malthusian fitness (at the population level) in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis (Le Conte) obtained from a 21-year study in Algonquin Park, Ontario. At the individual level, asymmetry was a poor predictor of litter size or body size. At the population level, however, the amount of asymmetry in the breeding population was strongly related to variation in environmental conditions. I propose a hypothesis to explain these observations that incorporates mouse reproductive physiology and ecology. I presented these findings (in poster form) at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Zoologists in Sudbury (May 2001), and gave a talk at the annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America (August 2001).