Traditionally evolutionary biology is divided into two sub-disciplines.

Micro-evolution emphasizes variation within species.
Macro-evolution emphsizes variation between clades (species or higher level).

At the intersection between microevolution and macroevolution lie many of the most elusive and important evolutionary questions.

To understand the intersection of these two fields we must determine how the processes at each level influence the patterns seen in the other.

If Stephen J. Gould¹ was correct in asserting that evolution is a process shaped by contingency, then the past must in some way constrain future evolutionary patterns. The signature of past evolution, if it exists, must be found in present constraints on genotypic variation within and between clades. When phylogenetic (macro-evolutionary) constraints exist micro-evolutionary response should differ between clades.

My research addresses questions that arise at this interface between macro and micro evolution

Are micro-evolutionary dynamics effected by macro-evolutionary as well as ecological factors?

When evolutionary constraints exist, are they qualitatively and/or quantitatively different across phylogenetic levels?

Under what conditions can evolutionary constraints be circumvented?

What processes create constraints in the first place?

Does the dominant and dichotomous view of evolution prevent a thorough understanding of evolution?

I use the following approches to address these questions

Theoretical Population Genetics:

Evolutionary Dynamics in Experimental Populations of Bacteria:

Evolutionary Dynamics of Plastic Response in Zebrafish:

Molecular Evolutionary Dynamics of RNA Editing in Basal Landplants:

Ecological Genetics of Amphibians:

Evolutionary dynamics of Leprosy in Armadillos.