DPhil. Student

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Joanne Chapman

Joanne Chapman

Details

Name: Joanne Chapman
Position: DPhil. Student
Email: joanne.chapman@zoo.ox.ac.uk

Autobiography

I was born in New Zealand and completed an MSc (Hons) in Ecology and Genetics at Massey University (Palmerston North). My thesis aimed at quantifying the population substructure and dispersal patterns of Brushtail Possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), an invasive pest in New Zealand. I then worked as a Research Associate for HortResearch, in Auckland. My work focused the effects of a selective sweep on genomic variation in the Sheep Blowfly (Lucinia cuprina). This system was a good example of evolutionary change on a short time scale - about 60 years. I moved to the UK in August 2002, and worked as a technician in the EGI for 3 years, mostly focusing on molecular genetics of the great tit.

Research Activities

My thesis research has two main themes:

Heterozygosity-Fitness Correlations: Is individual fitness correlated with genetic diversity? To determine this I have developed a set of 28 microsatellite loci to measure individual multilocus heterozygosity (MLH) and have used this set of markers to genotype 288 locally born birds. Fitness measures include survival, local recruitment, first year breeding success and ultimately lifetime breeding success.

Mate Choice: Great tits pair up during the breeding season, and both male and female social parents provide care to their young. However genetic analysis has revealed that about 20% of all offspring are not fathered by the male providing care at the nest. The distribution of these extra-pair offspring is not random amongst nests, suggesting females may actively seek different genetic fathers for their offspring under certain circumstances. This is a common phenomenon in passerine birds, and possible explanations include the female seeking extra-pair copulations to gain good genes or compatible genes for her offspring. My research will focus on the genetic and fitness differences between extra-pair and cuckolded males, and between within-pair and extra-pair young in an effort to try to understand mate choice behaviour in the great tit.

Selected Recent Papers

Chapman, J.R. 2001. Analysis of mitochondrial control region DNA variation in New Zealand's Brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula). Unpublished MSc thesis, Massey University, Palmerston North.

Chapman, J.R, Cowan, P.E. and Sarre, S.D. Population structure of Brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in New Zealand,150 years after their introduction from Australia. In prep for Molecular Ecology.