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R. Deborah Overath, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
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Education
- Wells College, Aurora, NY, B.A., 1983, Biology/Chemistry, Minor in Mathematics
- Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, M.A., 1988, Biological Sciences
- University of Georgia, Athens, GA, Ph.D., 1998, Genetics
- University of Texas, Austin, TX, Post-doc, 1998-2001, Plant Population Ecology
Research Interests
As a population geneticist, I am interested in how characteristics of organisms or their environment may influence the amount and distribution of genetic diversity in natural populations and the potential for evolutionary change. I have studied the effects of asexual reproduction and polyploidy on the maintenance of genetic variation in and among populations both empirically and theoretically. I also have training in ecological modeling, especially life history, and am working on ways to combine ecological and evolutionary models. Recently, due to growing interest in ecological genetics, I have begun have begun to collaborate on projects related to the genetic basis of and variation in traits of ecological importance, such as life history, competitive abilities, and invasiveness with Dr. Dave Grisé. In addition, I am interested in how knowledge of genetic variation and its distribution can address questions related to conservation and management of marine and terrestrial plants and animals. These studies will involve collaborations with colleagues such as Dr. Greg Stunz and Dr. Lee Smee, as well as researchers at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University.
I currently have several undergraduate researchers working in my lab and am looking for graduate students interested in using population genetics approaches to answer a variety of questions.
Publications
- Overath, R. D., J. E. Titus, D. T. Hoover, and D. J. Grisé. 1991. The influence of field site and natural sediments on the growth and tissue chemistry of Vallisneria americanaMichx. J. Freshw. Ecol. 6: 135-145.
- Overath, R. D. and M. A. Asmussen. 1998. Genetic diversity at a single locus under viability selection and facultative apomixis: Equilibrium structure and deviations from Hardy-Weinberg. Genetics 148: 2020-2039.
- Overath, R.D. and J.L. Hamrick. 1998. Allozyme diversity in Amelanchier arborea and A. laevis (Rosaceae). Rhodora 100: 276-292.
- Overath, R. D. and M. A. Asmussen. 2000. The cytonuclear affects of facultative apomixis: Dynamics in diploid populations. Theoretical Population Biology 58: 107-121.
- Overath, R. D. and M. A. Asmussen. 2000. The cytonuclear affects of facultative apomixis: Definition and properties of cytonuclear disequilibria in tetraploid populations. Theoretical Population Biology 58: 123-142.
- N. L. Fowler, R. D. Overath and C. M. Pease. 2006. Detection of density dependences requires density manipulations and calculation of λ. Ecology 87: 655-664.
