Mitochondrial DNA has been widely employed as an evolutionary marker to study the process of molecular evolution and to infer phylogeographic and phylogenetic patterns. We study the selective forces that influence the evolution of mitochondrial DNA and have used it as a model to study the link between the genotype and the phenotype.

Drosophila simulans has been the long term focus of the laboratory because it has three distinct mitochondrial haplogroups (siI, -II, and -III). The high interhaplogroup divergence allows us to test the role of the mitochondrial genotype. The low intrahaplogroup variation enables us to replicate our studies with independently collected flies.One particularly interesting force is the alpha proteobacteria Wolbachia.

Since returning from America, our laboratory has diversified and we are studying a the evolutionary processes that influence genetic subdivision in a range of organisms from crustacean amphipods to mosquitoes and most recently to Dingo's.

Left to Right: Bill, Michael, Ida, Kylie, Lou, Wen, Jonci, Carolina & Pann Pann.