Postdoctoral Fellows and Graduate Students

 

Justin Bagley


stratslinger89@yahoo.com

PhD Student

 I am a new Ph.D. student in the Johnson Lab. An Alabama native, I come to BYU having completed my M.S. in biology at the University of Alabama studying taxonomy, population genetics, and body shape variation of a complex of black basses in the southeastern United States (M. punctulatus subspecies and relatives). My research interests include systematic ichthyology, the evolutionary genetics of populations, the influence of ecology on speciation processes, geometric morphometrics, and understanding correlations between distributions and phenotype evolution using phylogenetic trees. For my Ph.D., I hope to develop a project investigating one of several groups of Mexican or Costa Rican freshwater fishes (e.g., Poecilia, Poeciliopsis, Brachyrhaphis). 

Lab Alumni


José Jaime Zúñiga-Vega

jaimezunigavega@hotmail.com

Postdoctoral Fellow (2005–06)

 My main research interests are population dynamics and evolution of life histories. Particularly in fishes, amphibians and reptiles. However, I am getting also interested in conservation, phylogeography, and population genetics. The questions that I am currently working on deal with the role of mortality in the evolution of life history strategies, the causes that originated superfetation in poeciliid fishes, and the consequences of temporal and spatial variation in the demographic behavior of natural populations. I was a post doc at Jerry Johnson’s lab during 2005-2006 and now I am getting hired by Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in México City as an Associate Professor. Currently, I am advisor of two undergraduate and two Masters students in México. Along with Dr. Jerry Johnson we are working on identifying conservation units in Mexican livebearing fishes by means of an empirical approach based in demography and population genetics.


Carissa Jones

kalika@byu.edu

Masters Student

(2005–07)

I like almost anything living (NOT, however, early morning spiders in the bathtub), but my research has focused on a guppy-like fish native to northern Costa Rica called Xenophallus umbratilis. My thesis examines how cycles of high and low sea levels associated with glacial and interglacial periods over the last five million years have impacted patterns of genetic diversity within Xenophallus umbratilis. I graduated from BYU in December 2007. I have one manuscript from my thesis that is currently in review titled “Phylogeography of the livebearer Xenophallus umbratilis (Teleostei: Poeciliidae): glacial cycles and sea level change predict diversification of a freshwater tropical fish”. I am also working on a second manuscript exploring life history variation in X. umbratilis.


Peter Unmack

peter.byu@unmack.net

Postdoctoral Fellow (2006–10)

My researched is centered on various aspects of freshwater fishes: biogeography, ecology, systematics, and conservation. Most of my current research is focused on understanding biogeographic patterns and factors that influence fish distributions.
 

Rachael Remington


kremington@ou.edu

Visiting PhD Student

The goal of my research is to investigate the ecology and evolution of turbid water adaptations in freshwater fishes. Currently, I am studying turbid water trait evolution in the genus Hybognathus using morphometrics and molecular markers. Hybognathus is an ideal group to study trait evolution since the group is monophyletic and inhabits a range of aquatic environments. I have found that fishes living in turbid environments possess traits that have recently and independently evolved, such as small eyes, small optic lobes and large olfactory lobes of the brain. Additionally, I am investigating feeding success and growth of Great Plains cyprinids (e.g., Notropis bairdi, N. stramineus and N. boops) from turbid to clear water habitats. My ecological research has been conducted in aquaria and artificial stream mesocosms at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station. 
 

Jared Lee


jaredblee@byu.edu

Masters Student
My research is focused on testing biogeographic boundaries developed from community composition data. My thesis examines whether or not boundaries between fish ecoregions in lower Central America can be predicted using single-species phylogeography. I am currently examining phylogeography of the livebearing fish Poecilia gillii to test these ideas. My general interests in biology include molecular systematics, genomics, conservation, and science education. My taxonomic leanings and experience favor work on fish, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. 
 

Laura Scott


scott2@byu.edu

Masters Student

My thesis is centered on character displacement of poeciliid fish from Mexico. The study focuses on three attributes to better understand this phenomenon: morphology, life history strategies, and behavior. Additionally, I work with the Patagonia biology field studies program to provide opportunities for students to participate in international research. After completing my master's degree, I plan to teach high school biology.