Phylogenetic, Population Genetic, and Coalescent Analyses of Butterfly Evolution Jeffrey C. Oliver Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Yale University New Haven, CT Contact me

I am interested in the processes underlying biological diversity, particularly those processes of evolution leading to diversification in butterflies. I employ phylogenetic and population genetic analyses to understand how various characteristics of butterflies evolve through time and maintain differences among species. In addition to my empirical work, I also write software for phylogenetic analyses in the Mesquite software system.

Currently, I am working with Antónia Monteiro investigating the evolution of wing characters in the genus Bicyclus. We are interested in the various functions eyespots may have, and how these different functions affect the diversity of wing patterns seen in nature.

Recent Publications

• Oliver, J.C., K.A. Robertson, and A. Monteiro. 2009. Accommodating natural and sexual selection in butterfly wing evolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 276:2369-2375.
• Oliver, J.C. 2008. AUGIST: inferring species trees while accommodating gene tree uncertainty. Bioinformatics 24:2932-2933.
• Prudic, K.L. and J.C. Oliver. 2008. Once a Batesian mimic, not always a Batesian mimic: mimic reverts back to ancestral phenotype when the model is absent. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 275:1125-1132.
• Oliver, J.C. and A.M. Shapiro. 2007. Genetic isolation and cryptic variation within the Lycaena xanthoides species group (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae). Molecular Ecology 16: 4308–4320.
• Prudic, K.L., J.C. Oliver, and F.A.H. Sperling. 2007. The signal environment is more important than diet or chemical specialization in the evolution of warning coloration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104: 19381–19386.
• Oliver, J.C., K.L. Prudic, and G.B. Pauly. 2007. Parasitism rates in larval Lycaena xanthoides (Godart) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) and a new host record for Cotesia theclae (Riley) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 83:262-264.
• Oliver, J.C. 2006. Population genetic effects of human-mediated plant range expansions on native phytophagous insects. Oikos 112:456-463.
• Shaffer, H.B., G.B. Pauly, J.C. Oliver, and P.C. Trenham. 2004. The molecular phylogenetics of endangerment: cryptic variation and historical phylogeography of the California tiger salamander, Ambystoma californiense. Molecular Ecology 13:3033-3049.
• Shaffer, H.B., G. Fellers, S.R. Voss, J.C. Oliver, and G.B. Pauly. 2004. Species boundaries, phylogeography, and conservation genetics of the red-legged frog (Rana aurora/draytonii) complex. Molecular Ecology 13:2667-2677.