Kelly Dyer
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. (2004) University of Rochester
Phone: 706-542-3154
Email: kdyer@uga.edu
Research Interests
A genome is a conglomerate of individual genetic elements, each of which is selected to maximize its own evolutionary success. Conflict among these elements can occur at many levels - among genes, chromosomes, genomes, and individuals - and can affect genetics, behavior, and ecology. My research focuses on these consequences, addressing the question: How does evolutionary conflict shape the patterns of genetic and phenotypic diversity that we observe in natural populations? Current projects focus on three different types of genetic interactions that result in evolutionary conflict: (1) among parts of the nuclear genome that differ in transmission patterns, as manifested in X-chromosome meiotic drive, (2) between hosts and maternally-transmitted parasites, and (3) between males and females. I am also interested in a variety of other topics in evolutionary genetics, including understanding the genetic basis of ecological adaptations and the interaction of selection and population structure. To address questions I use a variety of approaches, combining molecular techniques and classical Drosophila genetics with theoretical modelling, behavioral observations, and field studies, focusing on natural populations of various species of mushroom-feeding Drosophila because they are useful for both genetic and ecological studies.
  • Jaenike, J. and K. A. Dyer. 2008. No resistance to male-killing Wolbachia after thousands of years of infection. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 21: 1570-1577.
  • Unckless, R. L., L. M. Boilio, M. Schifano, and K. A. Dyer. 2008. Isolation and characterization of 30 polymorphic microsatellites from the mycophagous fly Drosophila innubila. Molecular Ecology Resources 8: 939-942.
  • Dyer, K. A. 2007. Identification and characterization of 21 polymorphic microsatellite loci from the mycophagous fly Drosophila neotestacea. Molecular Ecology Notes 7: 1120–1122.
  • Dyer, K.A., B. Charlesworth and J. Jaenike. 2007. Chromosome-wide linkage disequilibrium as a consequence of meiotic drive.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 1587-1592.
  • Jaenike, J., K.A. Dyer, C. Cornish and M.S. Minhas. 2006. Asymmetrical reinforcement and Wolbachia infection in Drosophila. PLoS Biology 4: 1852-1862.
  • Dyer, K.A. and J. Jaenike. 2005. Evolutionary dynamics of a spatially structured host-parasite association: Drosophila innubila and male-killing Wolbachia. Evolution 59: 1518-1528.
  • Dyer, K.A., M.S. Minhas and J. Jaenike. 2005. Expression and modulation of embryonic male-killing in Drosophila innubila: Opportunities for multi-level selection. Evolution 59: 838-848.
  • Shoemaker, D.D., K.A. Dyer, M. Ahrens, K. McAbee and J. Jaenike. 2004. Decreased diversity but increased substitution rate in host mtDNA as a consequence of Wolbachia endosymbiont infection. Genetics 168: 2049-2058. 
  • Dyer, K.A. and J. Jaenike. 2004. Evolutionary stable infection by a male-killing endosymbiont in Drosophila innubila: Molecular evidence from the host and parasite genomes. Genetics 168: 1443-1455. 
  • Guindon, S., A.G. Rodrigo, K.A. Dyer and J.P. Huelsenbeck. 2004. Modeling the site-specific variation of selection patterns along lineages.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 12957-12962.
  • Huelsenbeck, J.P. and K.A. Dyer. 2004. Bayesian estimation of positively selected sites. Journal of Molecular Evolution 58: 661-672.
  • Jaenike, J., K.A. Dyer and L.K. Reed. 2003. Within-population structure of competition and the dynamics of male-killing Wolbachia. Evolutionary Ecology Research 5: 1023-1036.
  • Ross, C.L., K.A. Dyer, T. Erez, S.J. Miller, J. Jaenike and T.A. Markow. 2003. Rapid divergence of microsatellite abundance among species of Drosophila. Molecular Biology and Evolution 20: 1143-1157.
  • Price, C.S.C., K.A. Dyer and J.A. Coyne. 1999. Sperm competition in Drosophila males involves both displacement and incapacitation. Nature 400: 449-452.