Welcome to the Funk Lab We strive to understand the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that generate and maintain biological diversity using population genomics, experimental manipulations, and field studies. Our goal is to not only test basic evolutionary and ecological theory, but also directly inform policy and management decisions that will ultimately determine the fate of biodiversity.
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Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) (Photo: Chris Funk)
Although gene flow may limit adaptation, it can also rescue small, inbred populations. Sarah Fitzpatrick–former Funk lab PhD student and current Assistant Professor at Michigan State University–led our paper just out in Current Biology documenting genetic rescue in wild populations of Trinidadian guppies. Combining wild […]
Genetic rescue has been used as a management strategy to increase population sizes of mountain pygmy possums (Photo: Andrew Weeks)
Theory and data show that genetic rescue–a decrease in extinction probability due to gene flow–is an effective management tool for small, isolated populations. Despite this, genetic rescue is rarely used to boost […]
Trinidadian guppy pair. Photo credit: Paul Bentzen.
Our collaborative research on genetic rescue was featured in Science magazine. Former Funk Lab PhD student, Dr. Sarah Fitzpatrick (now an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University), was featured prominently in the article written by Elizabeth Pennisi. Sarah talked about our latest research using guppies […]
Hypothetical scenario of a fragmented species that would likely benefit from gene flow augmentation (A) in which a species from a previously continuous distribution (outlined in grey) now exists in isolated populations (black circles) along an environmental gradient. Several small populations outlined by red dashes have already gone extinct. Extant populations range […]
A huge congratulations to Dr. Sarah Fitzpatrick for being awarded the prestigious Young Investigator’s Award from the American Society of Naturalists!!! See the official announcement here and the CSU SOURCE story here.
Congratulations to Dr. Sarah Fitzpatrick for getting a tenure-track job at Kellogg Biological Station!!! 100% of Funk lab PhD students and postdocs who wanted a career in academia have landed tenure-track jobs (N=5), including Melanie Murphy, Jeanne Robertson, Alex Trillo, and Mónica Páez. Way to go Funklings!! […]
Jill Gerberich with leatherback sea turtle in Trinidad.
Congratulations to Jill Gerberich for being awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!!! This is a very prestigious fellowship awarded to promising students to pursue a PhD. Jill has been an undergraduate researcher in the Funk lab for four years helping former PhD student Sarah […]
Congratulations to Sarah Fitzpatrick for successfully defending her PhD! We’ll miss her, but we’re also happy to see her take the next step in her career as a postdoc at the Kellogg Biological Station at Michigan State University.
Our new review on genetic rescue was featured on the cover of Trends in Ecology and Evolution. See earlier post for more info on the major conclusions of our review.
Citation: Whiteley AR, Fitzpatrick SW, Funk WC, Tallmon DA (2015) Genetic rescue to the rescue. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 30, 42-49. […]
Authors of TREE paper. Andrew Whiteley, University of Massachusetts Amherst (top left); Dave Tallmon, University of Alaska Southeast (top right); Sarah Fitzpatrick, Colorado State University (bottom left), W. Chris Funk, Colorado State University (bottom right).
Genetic rescue is an increase in population fitness caused by the immigration of new alleles into a […]
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Contact Department of Biology
Colorado State University
1878 Campus Delivery
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1878
Tel: 970-491-3289
E-mail: Chris.Funk@colostate.edu
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