Laurence D. MuellerProfessor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology |
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Research Interests |
Theoretical and empirical studies of density-dependent natural selection, population stability and dynamics, DNA typing in forensic science | |
| URL | Lab web page | |
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Research Abstract |
The ability to understand evolution in natural populations requires insights into the interaction of population ecology and natural selection. An important component of a population's ecology is the number of individuals present relative to important resources. There exist extensive theories on the consequences of density-dependent natural selection. These theories make a variety of predictions concerning the evolution of important phenotypic traits, such as body size, competitive ability, and density-dependent rates of population growth. Testing these theories has proved to be difficult, as records of past densities for many natural populations often do not exist. In addition, many natural populations differ with respect to a variety of variables other than population density, which may have important confounding effects on the evolution of these populations. Studies in my laboratory have utilized replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster which have been kept at extreme population densities for about 200 generations. These populations allow us to determine whether population density may cause the genetic differentiation of populations with respect to important life history traits. We have observed that relative to populations kept at low densities, high density populations show (1} increased rates of population growth at high densities but decreased rates at low densities, (2) increased viability and adult size under crowded conditions, (3) increased competitive ability for obtaining food, but (4) increased minimum food requirements. My current research has focused on the possible physiological and genetic correlation between competitive ability and efficiency of food utilization. We are also studying the factors which affect the stability of populations over time. Through these studies we hope to gain a better understanding of the interaction between natural selection and population density and also study how physiological constraints may lead to trade-offs in fitness components during the course of evolution. |
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| Publications | Rose, M.R. and L.D. Mueller, 2006. Evolution and Ecology of the Organism. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. | |
| Mueller, L.D., D.G. Folk, N. Nguyen, P. Nguyen, P. Lam, M.R. Rose, and T. Bradley. 2005. Evolution of larval foraging behaviour in Drosophila and its effects on growth and metabolic rate. Physiological Entomology 30: 262-269. | ||
| Mueller, L. D., M. D. Drapeau, C. S. Adams, C. W. Hammerle, K. M. Doyal, A. J. Jazayeri, T. Ly, S. A. Beguwala, A. R. Mamidi, M. R. Rose 2003. Statistical tests of demographic heterogeneity theories. Experimental Gerontology 38: 373-386. | ||
| Mueller, L. D. and A. Joshi, 2000. Stability in Model Populations. Monographs in Population Biology No. 31, Princeton University Press, Princeton, N.J. | ||
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Mueller, L.D. 1997. Theoretical and empirical examination of density-dependent selection. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 28: 269-288. |
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Mueller, L. D. and M. R. Rose. 1996. Evolutionary theory predicts late-life mortality plateaus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 93:15249-15253. |
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| Mueller, L. D., P. Z. Guo and F. J. Ayala. 1991. Density-dependent natural selection and trade-offs in life history traits. Science 253: 433-435. | ||
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Professional Societies |
Genetics Society of America Society for the Study of Evolution |
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| Link to this profile | http://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2704 | |
| Last updated | 11/18/2005 | |