Jamie R Oaks

Abstract Hybrid zones present an excellent opportunity to study the evolution of reproductive isolation between divergent evolutionary lineages as generations of interbreeding and backcrossing produce many different recombinant genotypes. We can then observe patterns of genetic variation within a hybrid zone to understand how selection is acting on these recombinant genotypes.

Abstract Many processes of biological diversification can affect multiple evolutionary lineages. Examples include multiple members of a gene family diverging when a region of a chromosome is duplicated, multiple viral strains diverging at a "super-spreading" event, and a geological event fragmenting whole communities of species. It is difficult to test for patterns predicted by such processes, because all phylogenetic methods assume that lineages diverge independently.

By Jamie Oaks “A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.” — Francis Bacon The idea that people must look for ways to create opportunities rather than rely on chance to find them was first proposed in the 16th century by English philosopher Francis Bacon (The Essays of Francis Bacon). While this concept may seem impractical amid a pandemic, it is often during the most difficult times that great ideas—and opportunities—are conceived.