Charles F. Baer

personal site

Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Florida State University, 1998

621 BAR
Box 118525
Gainesville, FL
32611-8525
Voice: (352) 392-3550 Fax: (352) 392-3704
cbaer@zoology.ufl.edu

Research Interests

I am a comparative evolutionary geneticist whose research is motivated by theoretical population genetics. My primary research interest is in the factors responsible for the generation and maintenance of genetic variation. I am especially interested in the evolution of mutation rate. There is considerable taxonomic variation in the rate and cumulative effects of new mutations, even among genotypes within species. I begin from the premise that the mutatuion rate is an evolvable phenotype which is subject to optimizing selection, and which may evolve in predictable ways. My research program has two primary objectives: (1) elucidate the various factors that underlie  variation in the mutation rate, and (2) determine the extent to which variation in mutation rate explains variation among taxa in standing genetic variation at the phenotypic and molecular level. Recently, our studies of mutational variation have led me to become interested in the evolution of phenotypic robustness.

We use Rhabditid nematodes as our experimental organism, and employ a variety of phenotypic and molecular methods to address the questions of interest. Additional research interests include the evolution of genetic architecture (i.e., genetic covariance), the phylogeography of fresh water fish, and selection experiments in any way, shape, or form.

Students Currently Supervised

Matt Salomon (Ph.D)
- Current research focuses on genetic variation in rhabditid nematodes, and on the evolution of repetitive genetic elements.

Jonathan "Jono" Saunders (MS, co-advised with Tom Emmel)
- Current research focuses on phylogenetics of lepidoptera; future research TBA.

Representative Publications

Baer, C. F. 2008. Quantifying the de-canalizing effects of spontaneous mutations in rhabditid nematodes. American Naturalist, in press.

Baer, C. F., M. M. Miyamoto, and D. R. Denver. 2007. Mutation rate variation in multicellular eukaryotes: causes and consequences. Nature Reviews Genetics 8: 619-631.

Ostrow, D. G., N. Phillips, A. Avalos, D. Blanton, A. Boggs, T. Keller, L. Levy, J. Rosenbloom, and C. F. Baer. 2007. Mutational bias for body size in Rhabditid nematodes. Genetics 176: 1653–1661.

Fuller, R. C., C. F. Baer, and J. Travis. 2005. How and when selection experiments might actually be useful. Integrative and Comparative Biology 45: 391-404.

Baer, C. F., F. Shaw, C. Steding, M. Baumgartner, A. Hawkins, A. Houppert, N. Mason, M. Reed, K. Simonelic, W. Woodard, and M. Lynch. 2005. Comparative evolutionary genetics of spontaneous mutations affecting fitness in rhabditid nematodes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 102: 5785-5790.