"Digging for genes that affect mammalian behavior"
Sponsor(s): Neurobiology
Dr. Hoekstra's research focuses on understanding how variation is generated and maintained in natural populations. In particular, she is interested in understanding both the proximate and ultimate causes of evolutionary change in behavior. Much of her research focuses on identifying and characterizing the molecular changes responsible for traits that affect fitness of organisms in the wild. She uses wild and captive populations of deer mice to track down genetic changes that contribute to variation in morphology, reproduction and behavior. This work has implications for understanding the evolutionary process and may shed light on the genetic origins of variation in other species, including humans.
Contact: Irene Lofstrom