Current Member - Dr. Judith Mank
Faculty Member: Univeristy Lecturer
Dr. Judith Mank
Details
Name: Dr. Judith Mank
Position: University Lecturer
Email: judith.mank@zoo.ox.ac.uk
Autobiography
I studied anthropology at the University of Florida, then wildlife biology at Penn State, before finding my current path in evolutionary genetics during my PhD (2006) at the University of Georgia, where I studied the comparative evolution of reproductive traits in fish. Toward the end of my dissertation work, I became interested in how and why the evolutionary regimes acting on females and males differ. I developed this interest during my post-doc in Sweden at Uppsala University (2006-2008), where I began studying the genomic underpinnings of sexual dimorphism and the molecular evolution of the sex chromosomes in birds. I moved to Oxford in 2008, and joined the EGI soon after.
Research Activities
I have broad interests in evolutionary biology, especially in the relationship between the genome and the phenotype. Much of my current work is designed understand how evolutionary pressures differ between females and males, and how this ultimately translates up to the dimorphic phenotypes that we observe in so many animals. I also often focus on the sex chromosomes, as these portions of the genome differ in dose between the sexes and can therefore be used to measure the strength and pervasiveness of male- and female-specific selection. These studies involve a combination of genomic, transcriptomic and phylogenetic approaches, often using birds as a model system.
For more details of my research, visit the Evolutionary Genomics page
.Selected Recent Papers
Mank, JE, Nam K, Ellegren H. (2010) Faster-Z Evolution is predominantly due to genetic drift. Molecular Biology and Evolution 27: 661-670
Mank, JE. (2009) Sexual selection and Darwin's mystery of mysteries. Science 326: 1639-1640
Mank JE. (2009) The evolution of heterochiasmy: the role of sexual selection and sperm competition in determining sex-specific recombination rates in eutherian mammals. Genetics Research 91:355-363
Mank JE, Avise JC. (2009) Evolutionary diversity and turn-over of sex determining mechanisms in teleost fishes. Sexual Development 3: 60-67
Avise JC, Mank JE. (2009) Evolutionary perspectives on hermaphroditism in fish. Sexual Development 3: 152-163
Mank JE (2009) Sex chromosomes and the evolution of sexual dimorphism: lessons from the genome. American Naturalist 173: 141-150
Mank JE, Ellegren H (2009) Sex-linkage of sexually antagonistic genes is predicted by female, but not male-, effect in birds. Evolution forthcoming
Mank JE, Hultin-Rosenberg L, Zwahlen M, Ellegren H (2008) Pleiotropic constraint hampers the resolution of sexual antagonism in vertebrate gene expression. American Naturalist 171: 35-43
Mank JE, Axelsson E, Ellegren H (2007) Fast-X on the Z: Rapid evolution of sex-linked genes in birds. Genome Research 17: 618-62
Mank JE, Hultin-Rosenberg L, Axelsson E, Ellegren H (2007) Rapid evolution of female-biased, but not male-biased, genes expressed in avian brain. Molecular Biology and Evolution 24: 2698-2706
Mank JE, Ellegren H (2007) Parallel divergence and degradation of the avian W sex chromosome. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 389-391
Mank JE (2007) The evolution of sexually selected traits and antagonistic androgen expression in actinopterygiian fishes. American Naturalist 169: 142-149
Mank JE, Hall DW, Kirkpatrick M, Avise JC (2006) Sex chromosomes and male ornaments: a comparative evaluation in ray-finned fishes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B. 273: 233-236
Mank JE, Avise JC (2006) Comparative phylogenetic analysis of male alternative reproductive tactics in ray-finned fishes. Evolution 60: 1311-1316
Mank JE, Promislow DEL, Avise JC (2005) Phylogenetic perspectives on the evolution of parental care in ray-finned fishes. Evolution 59: 1570-1578
