Department of Biology

Program

Evolution, Ecology & Behavior

Research Areas

• Behavior
• Ecology
• Evolution

Education

Ph.D., University of Arizona, 1984
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 1984-88,
Postdoctoral Associate, Center for Theoretical and Applied Genetics, Rutgers University, 1989

Research Description

Why do so many organisms have two sexual morphs: male and female?  And why do the females cross-fertilize instead of producing clonal offspring?  Assuming no concomitant reduction in fecundity, an asexual female would produce twice as many daughters (and four times as many grand-daughters) as the average sexual female; and unchecked, the resulting clone would quickly replace the sexual females and males in the population.  Our approach has been to study species that have both sexual and asexual females, so that there is a firm basis for comparison between the two reproductive strategies.  Sexual reproduction in one such species, a freshwater New Zealand snail, is correlated with the incidence of infection by parasitic trematodes, which is consistent with the idea that the production of variable, cross-fertilized progeny is favored in populations where there is a high risk of infection (The Red Queen hypothesis).  We are presently involved in more detailed genetic and ecological studies of this snail in populations where sexual and asexual females coexist.  I am also interested in the evolution of parasite virulence, and the evolution of phenotypic plasticity.  Specific details can be found at my lab website.

Select Publications

Vigneux, F., F. Bashey, M. Sicard, and C.M. Lively. 2008. Low migration decreases interference competition among parasites and increases virulence. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 21: 1245-1251.

Peters, A.D. and C.M. Lively. 2007. Short- and long-term benefits and detriments to recombination under antagonistic coevolution. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20: 1206-1217.

Koskella, B. and C.M. Lively. 2007. Advice of the Rose: experimental coevolution of a trematode parasite and its snail host. Evolution 62: 152-159.

Bashey, F., L.T. Morran, and C.M. Lively. 2007. Coinfection, kin selection, and the rate of host exploitation by a parasitic nematode. Evolutionary Ecology Research 9: 947-958.

Lively, C.M. 2006. The ecology of virulence. Ecology Letters 9: 1089-1095.

Lively, C.M. 2005. Evolution of virulence: coinfection and propagule production in spore–producing parasites. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2005, 5:64.

Neiman, M., J. Jokela, and C.M. Lively. 2005. Variation in asexual lineage age in Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a New Zealand snail. Evolution 59: 1945-1952.

Lively, C.M., M.F. Dybdahl, J. Jokela, E. Osnas, and L.F. Delph. 2004. Host sex and local adaptation by parasites in a snail-trematode interaction. American Naturalist 164:S6-S18.

Hazel, W, R. Smock, and C. M. Lively. 2004. The ecological genetics of conditional strategies. American Naturalist 163:888-900.

Howard, R.S. and C.M. Lively. 2004. Good vs. complementary genes for parasite resistance and the evolution of mate choice. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2004, 4:48

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