Erica Larson
Associate Professor, Evolution
303-871-3694 (Office)
Boettcher Center West, 2050 E. Iliff Ave. Denver, CO 80208
What I do
My lab studies how sexual selection and genomic conflict shape the evolution of reproduction, and how divergence in these key reproductive traits contribute to speciation.Specialization(s)
evolutionary biology
Degree(s)
- Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, 2013
- BS, Biology, Western Washington University, 2004
Professional Affiliations
- Society for the Study of Evolution
- Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution
- American Genetics Association
- American Society of Naturalists
- Entomological Society of America
Research
In the Larson Lab, we want to understand the origins of species diversity and how evolutionary forces drive speciation. The evolution of reproductive traits is central to this process. Males and females interact in diverse ways, both before and after mating. They also interact at different organizational levels—as individuals, gametes, sex chromosomes, and genes that have evolved male and female-biased functions. The evolution of reproductive traits is at once cooperative and antagonistic. Individuals have to be able to reproduce, but males and females can have conflicting interests. We study how sexual selection and genomic conflict shape the evolution of reproduction, and how divergence in these key reproductive traits contribute to speciation.
Areas of Research
speciation
hybridization
sexual selection
sex chromosome evolution
population genetics and genomics
evolution of gene expression
Key Projects
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RoL: The evolution and maintenance of variable species boundaries
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Multimodal signaling in rhinoceros beetles
- RCN-UBE Incubator: Enhancing Undergraduate Biology Education through
Featured Publications
. (2019). Insights from genomes into the evolutionary importance and prevalence of hybridization in nature. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 3, 170-177.
. (2018). The evolution of polymorphic hybrid incompatibilities in house mice. Genetics, 209, 845–859.
Awards
- Editor's Choice Award for Outstanding Population Genetic Article, Genetics
- Provost’s Diversity Fellowship , Cornell University
- American Association of University Women Fellowship, AAUW
- Robert H. Whittaker Award for Outstanding Presentation , Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
- Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant , Agriculture & Life Sciences, Cornell University
