The Cristescu Lab |

Lab Members |
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Katie Millette PhD Candidate |
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Evolution in contaminated environments: selection, gene flow, and the maintenance of Daphnia populations exposed to multiple stressors Research interests Increasing anthropogenic contamination of aquatic habitats is a major concern for freshwater species and populations. Pollutants (e.g., heavy metals) released into lake environments have been shown to affect the growth, development, and fitness of individuals, and ultimately place populations at the risk of extinction. However, prolonged exposure to pollutants may act as a selective force for adaptive genetic variation, influence rates of gene flow among populations, and drive patterns of genetic differentiation. As a result, species inhabiting contaminated habitats maintain a dynamic evolutionary position wherein local populations may succumb to stochasticity or selection. By studying populations of Daphnia from lakes with known contamination history, my project aims to disentangle the importance of dispersal, gene flow, and selection as drivers of observable genetic variation and forces behind the position of local populations at the brink of extinction. Publications Zeller KA, Creech TG, Millette KL, Crowhurst RS, Long RA, Wagner HH, Balkenhol N, Landguth EL. 2016. Using simulations to evaluate Mantel-based methods for assessing landscape resistance to gene flow. Ecology and Evolution, 6:4115-4128. Millette KL, Keyghobadi, N. 2015. The relative influence of habitat amount and configuration on genetic structure across multiple spatial scales. Ecology and Evolution, 5:73-86. Millette KL, Xu S, Witt JDS, Cristescu ME. (2011) Pleistocene-driven diversification in freshwater zooplankton: Genetic patterns of refugial isolation and post-glacial re-colonization in Leptodora kindtii (Crustacea, Cladocera). Limnology and Oceanography, 56, 1725-1736. Scholarships and Awards
Presentations 11. Millette KL, Gonzalez A, Cristescu ME. 2016. Broken barriers: anthropogenic disturbance leads to continental-scale levels of genetic diversity. Society for Molecular Biology & Evolution (SMBE). Brisbane Australia, July (International conference). 10. Millette KL, Fussmann GF, Gonzalez A, Cristescu ME. 2015. Microsatellite pools and measuring genetic diversity loss. Biology Graduate Student Symposium, Waterloo ON, April (Provincial conference). 9. Millette KL and Cristescu ME. 2014. Evolution of natural populations in contaminated habitats. CSEE Genomes to Biomes Symposium, Montreal QC, May (International conference). 8. Millette KL and Cristescu ME. 2014. Evolution of Daphnia populations in contaminated environments. ERASMUS-CREATE GLIER Colloquium, Windsor, ON, April (National conference). 7. Millette KL and Keyghobadi N. 2013. Landscape genetics of the pitcher plant model system. US Regional Association of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (US-IALE) Annual Symposium, Austin, TX, April (International conference). |
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Contact Information |
Katie Millette MSc Western University Department of Biology McGill University 1205 ave Docteur Penfield Room S3/6A Montréal, Québec CANADA H3A 1B1 Lab: (514) 398-1622 katie.millette[AT]mail.mcgill.ca |