Dr. Kevin Feldheim, The Field Museum of Chicago:
“Shark pop-gen and mating systems”
Parthenogenesis, or virgin birth, is a recently described phenomenon in the elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays). This process typically leads to offspring that are homozygous at the vast majority of loci. Here, I will discuss how our group discovered parthenogenesis in an endangered sawfish. Additionally, I will talk about how parthenogenesis is a barrier to reintroducing one species back into the wild.
Dr. Kevin Feldheim is the A. Watson III Manager of the Pritzker Laboratory for Molecular Systematics and Evolution at the Field Museum. His research focuses on inferring the mating system and population biology of sharks using genetic markers, although he is broadly interested in many organisms. He received a Bachelor’s and Master’s from University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago working under Drs. Mary Ashley and Samuel Gruber.
co-hosted by MCGE (Maine Center for Genetics in the Environment) and SBE’s Erin Grey
