New Mexico State University

Scott Ferrenberg

Assistant Professor of Biology

I maintain two primary research foci within my lab. First, we study the role of phenotypic variation in determining the vulnerability of various plant species to climate change. Among the phenotypic traits that we most commonly focus on are defenses against insect herbivores in shrubs and trees, with the aim of understanding how these traits vary across environmental gradients and what factors moderate their influence on herbivores among plant populations. Second, we focus on understanding the factors that determine the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes in the assembly of arthropod communities in both natural and man-made landscapes. The goal of this research is to better understand how species diversity will be affected by global change pressures such as wildfires, land-use conversion, and climate change. Learn more about Scott here.

Email me: ferrenbe@nmsu.edu

Brook Milligan

Professor of Evolutionary Genetics

Research in my laboratory focuses on the interface between population genetics, ecology, and evolutionary biology. Specifically, we are interested in quantifying the rates at which evolution proceeds and in elucidating the rules governing evolutionary change of ecological and molecular traits. Ongoing population studies address such questions as 1) at what rate does neutral evolutionary change proceed and how does that determine the balances between genetic drift, migration, and natural selection, and 2) how do population size, mating system, and the demographic characteristics of populations interact to determine the rate of evolution? At a larger evolutionary scale we are concerned with such questions as 1) at what rate do large-scale evolutionary changes occur, and 2) are changes in one trait influenced by changes in others?

Email me: brook@nmsu.edu