University Research Fellow


ashleigh.griffin@zoo.ox.ac.uk
Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK, OX1 3PS


Research Summary

I am interested in the evolution of cooperative behaviour because it poses a special problem for evolutionary theory - how can selection favour a behaviour that reduces reproductive success? The question is important, not just so we can gain an insight into striking examples such as colonies of social insects or meerkat groups, but because it is fundamental to understanding life as we know it: the evolution of the genome, the eukaryotic cell and multicellular organisms.

My main focus has been the use of the bacterial system Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as an experimental system for testing predictions of social evolution theory.
My current projects fall into two main categories:
(1) The application of social evolution theory to understand clinical problems of bacterial infection.
(2) The use of meta-analysis to test predictions of social evolution theory in patterns across species, primarily cooperatively breeding birds.

PhD Studentships

*DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION JANUARY 20TH 2012*

PhD positions to start October 2012, see department website for detail on how to apply.

Cooperative warfare in microbes

Current understanding of social behaviour in microbes comes from lab experiments. While these experiments have been extremely useful as experimental systems for testing social evolution theory, they do not tell us very much at all about the adaptation of social behaviour in microbes in natural populations. For example, microbes outside the lab live in highly competitive, complex communities with selection pressure to compete effectively with other strains and species.

One competitive strategy adopted by bacteria is the production of anti-bacterial toxins, or bacteriocins, to which producers are immune. The production of these toxins can be considered to be a social trait, as they are costly to produce but benefit clonemates by reducing relative fitness of competitors. However, there are several features of toxin production, which are likely to have important implications for adaptation to the social environment, which we do not yet understand (1) bacteriocin production and resistance are often linked together on plasmids that are capable of horizontal transfer; (2) bacteriocin production is often facultatively expressed in response to the presence of other strains; and (3) toxins vary widely in specificity of their targets. The aim of this project is to investigate the implications of features such as these for the maintenance of bacteriocin production and the implications for microbial coexistence in nature.

There will be opportunities to take the project in a more applied direction, complementing current projects in my lab on bacteriocin production in Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the cystic fibrosis lung, or to focus more generally on the development of bacteriocin production as a model system for studying the evolution of conflict and conflict resolution in nature. There will also be the opportunity to combine both empirical and theoretical approaches, depending on particular interests.

People from the lab

Melanie Ghoul
Natalie Jiricny
Rolf Kummerli
Adin Ross-Gillespie
Lorenzo Santorelli


Collaborators

Sam Brown - University of Oxford
Charlie Cornwallis - EGI, University of Oxford
Steve Diggle - University of Nottingham
Andy Gardner - University of Oxford
Soeren Molin - Technical University of Denmark
Stuart West - University of Oxford


Links

Department of Zoology
Edward Grey Institute
My EGI page
Women in Science

I am a member of the University of Oxford Athena Swan Committee, which works to encourage good employment practice for women in science.

A Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellowship supports researchers, particularly women, who benefit from flexible working hours. After my children were born I worked part-time, thanks to support from this scheme.

Because I’m worth it.. I am a 2008 L’Oreal/UNESCO UK fellow For Women In Science

WISE Women Into Science and Engineering “inspirational women’ webpage

Griffin, AS (2008) Challenging stereotypes. [Review of “Women in Science, Engineering and Technology – Three Decades of UK Initiatives” by Alison Phipps, Trentham Books, 2008] Nature 454, 827.