Ph. D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

   

Office:     403 Life Sciences Building

Phone:   1-419-372-9240

Email:     jbouzat@bgsu.edu

   

Research:

Molecular ecology; Conservation genetics

   

Research and Personal Home Page

   

Research Interests:

Research in my lab focuses on three major areas: molecular ecology and conservation, population genetics, and molecular evolution. My main research goal is to understand the effects of ecological, demographic and environmental processes on the genetic variability of natural populations. Specific research topics include the effects of fragmentation and small population size on the genetic diversity of wild species; the relationship between genetic variability and fitness and its potential effects on the probability of extinction of natural populations; and the identification of Evolutionary Significant Units for conservation and natural resource management. Research in molecular evolution is focused on the origin and evolution of genes and gene families. My research lines combine the use of molecular genetic techniques, field studies on natural populations, and analytical tools in population genetics and molecular phylogenetics. Graduate students in my lab can choose to do their research in any area of evolutionary ecology, ecological a nd conservation genetics, and/or molecular evolution.

Selected Publications:

Bouzat, J.L., J.E. Johnson, J.E. Toepfer, S.A. Simpson, T.L. Esker and R.L. Westemeier. 2009. Beyond the beneficial effects of translocations in an effective tool for the genetic restoration of isolated populations. Conservation Genetics 10:191-201.

Bouzat, J. L., B.G. Walker and P.D. Boersa. 2009. Regional genetic structure in the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) suggests metapopulation dynamics. The Auk 126(2): 326-334.

Hoostal, M.J., M.G. Bidart-Bouzat and J.L. Bouzat. 2008. Local adaptation of microbial communities to heavy metals in polluted sediments of Lake Erie. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 65: 156-168.

Hoostal, M.J. and J.L. Bouzat. 2007. The modulating role of dissolved organic matter on spatial patterns of microbial metabolism in Lake Erie sediments. Microbial Ecology 55: 358-368.

Johnson, J.A., P. Dunn and J.L. Bouzat. 2007. Effects of population bottlenecks on demographic history revealed by comparisons of historic and contemporary populations of prairie chickens. Molecular Ecology (in press).

Swindell, W.R. and J.L. Bouzat. 2006. Selection and inbreeding: effects of inbreeding rate and inbreeding environment. Evolution 60: 1014-1022.

Swindell, W.R. and J.L. Bouzat. 2006. Ancestral inbreeding reduces the magnitude of inbreeding depression in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 60: 762-767.

Ross, J.D., A.D. Arndt, R.F. Smith, J.A. Johnson and J.L. Bouzat. 2006. Re-examination of the historical range of the Greater Prairie Chicken using provenance data and DNA analysis of museum collections. Conservation Genetics 7:735-750.

Swindell, W. and J.L. Bouzat. 2006. Gene flow and adaptive potential in Drosophila melanogaster. Conservation Genetics 7(1): 79-89.

Swindell, W. and J.L. Bouzat. 2005. Modeling the adaptive potential of isolated populations: experimental simulations using Drosophila. Evolution 59: 2159-2169.