Courses Taught
Methods of Phylogenetic Inference (Grad course)
Fall of odd years
Mammalogy (mixed Grad/Undergrad)
Fall of even years
Broader Impacts of Science on Society
Every other year
Graduate Students
J. Angelo Soto-Centeno
Email: sotocenteno@ufl.edu
Angelo’s research focuses on bat diversity in the Caribbean. He is testing hypotheses relating to colonization of the Caribbean via Florida, Mexico, and South America and is examining the degree of genetic isolation that is caused by the deep oceanic straits that run between some islands. To test these and other hypotheses he is using both molecular data (DNA and microsats) as well as ecological niche modeling.
Jorge Pino
Email: jlpino@ufl.edu
Jorge is studying singing mice in Mexico and Central America. Specifically, he is examining the phylogeography of the genus Scotinomys and investigating patterns of gene flow. These mice are very interesting because the two species are known to segregate based on elevation, and the habitat that they live in seems to be very heterogenious throughout their distribution. Jorge is using a combination of molecular markers and species distribution modeling to better understand how genes are moving between populations over this complex landscape.
Carson Phillips
Email: carsonp@ufl.edu
Carson is new to the Reed and Robinson Labs, and is still formulating parts of her dissertation work. She is studying neotropical primates to examine both evolutionary and ecological interactions in primates and their parasites. A key question that Carson will address is whether human settlements change parasite prevalence, abundance, and perhaps transmission in New World monkeys.
Bret Boyd
Email: bboyd@ufl.edu
Bret is new to the Reed Lab, and is pursuing a Ph.D. through the UF Genetics Institute Graduate Program. He is studying an interesting plasmid in the endosymbiotic bacteria of human head and clothing lice. This plasmid contains the genes required to synthesize the vitamins that the louse requires to complete its life cycle. Bret is interested in knowing whether this plasmid has been horizontally transmitted among louse species. He is also interested in genome-level studies of lice.