David W. Foltz
Professor
Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1979
Population Genetics
Molecular Population Genetics, Systematics and Evolution of Marine Invertebrates
Marine invertebrate species as a group display an incredibly broad range of reproductive
modes and mating systems. In addition to having ecological importance, variation
in these life factors can have long-term evolutionary consequences. Research in
my laboratory is concerned primarily with the consequences of differing larval
forms (brooded vs. pelagic, planktotrophic vs. lecithotrophic) on molecular and
organismal evolution in sea stars and other marine invertebrates. The questions
addressed concern rates and patterns of sequence evolution for both nuclear and
organelle genes, amounts of geographic variation in morphological and molecular
traits, patterns of lineage splitting and extinction, and occurrence of cryptic
speciation and hybridization.
Other recent and ongoing projects in my laboratory involve molecular phylogenetics
of sea stars using mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, analysis of pollution
tolerance in a cryptic species complex of harpacticoid copepods, and phylogeographic
studies in various marine and freshwater molluscs and crustaceans.
Selected Publications
Foltz, D.W. 2007. An ancient repeat sequence in the ATP synthase-ß subunit
gene of forcipulate sea stars. J. Mol. Evol. (in press).
Foltz, D. W., M. T. Bolton, S. P. Kelley, and A. T. Nguyen. 2007. Combined
mitochondrial and nuclear sequences support the monophyly of forcipulatacean
sea stars. Mol. Phyl. Evol. 43:627-634.
Foltz,
D. W., A. W. Hrincevich and A. Rocha-Olivares. 2004. Apparent selection intensity
for the cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene varies with mode of reproduction in
echinoderms. Genetica 122:115-125.
Rocha-Olivares, A., J. W. Fleeger and D. W. Foltz. 2004. Differential tolerance among cryptic species: a potential cause of pollutant-related reductions in genetic diversity.
Env. Tox. Chem. 23:2132-2137.
Curole, J. P., D. W. Foltz and K. M. Brown. 2004. Extensive allozyme monomorphism in a threatened species of freshwater mussel,
Margaritifera hembeli Conrad (Bivalvia: Margaritiferidae). Conserv.
Genet. 5:271-278.
Gomez, S., J.
W. Fleeger, A. Rocha-Olivares and D. W. Foltz. 2004. Four new species of
Cletocamptus Schmankewitsch, 1875, closely related to Cletocamptus deitersi
(Richard, 1897) (Copepoda: Harpacticoida). J. Nat. Hist. 38:2669-2732.
Foltz, D. W. 2003. Invertebrate species with non-pelagic larvae have elevated
levels of nonsynonymous substitutions and reduced nucleotide diversities. J.
Mol. Evol. 57:607-612.
Herke, S. W. and D. W. Foltz. 2002. Phylogeography of two squid (Loligo
pealei and L. plei)
in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Mar. Biol. 140:103-115.
Rocha-Olivares, A., J. W. Fleeger and D. W. Foltz. 2001. Decoupling of molecular
and morphological evolution in deep lineages of a meiobenthic harpacticoid copepod.
Mol. Biol. Evol.18:1088-1102.
Flowers, J. M. and D. W. Foltz. 2001. Discordant patterns of genetic and morphological
variation in a species-rich clade of North Pacific sea stars (Leptasterias
subgenus Hexasterias). Mar. Biol. 139:475-483.
Laboratory alumni
Dr. Scott W. Herke, LSU
Dr. Adam W. Hrincevich, LSU
Dr. Shane K. Sarver, Black Hills State U.
in Spearfish, SD
Dr. Masaya Katoh,
Seikai
National Fisheries Research Institute in Ishigaki, Japan
Dr. Jonathan M. Flowers, Stony
Brook University in Stony Brook, NY
Complete publication list
Visit Dave Foltz's laboratory
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