Understanding the impact of introgression on the genome
As mentioned above, a conundrum in the study of speciation is understanding how species are maintained despite hybridization. Quantifying hybridization across the genome and noting its non-uniform distribution has transformed the way we think about the process of speciation. Specifically, it highlights that the outcome of speciation is dictated by the relative strengths of both the build up of barriers to reproduction and gene flow - a battle taking place on a small scale along the genome. I am interested in using sequence-based techniques to quantify genetic admixture along the genome.
See publications on this topic:
Stevison, L.S. and H.M. Kohn. 2009. Divergence population genetic analysis of hybridization between rhesus and cynomolgus macaques. Molecular Ecology. 18(11): 2457-2475.
Stevison, L.S. 2008. Hybridization and gene flow. Nature Education Scitable. 1(1).