Dr. David W. Zeh
Professor
Conservation genetics, intragenomic conflict, molecular evolution, sexual selection, speciation and tropical biology

Department Chair  

Southampton College
1978, B.S.
University of Arizona
1986, Ph.D.

Current Projects / Research Interests
Our research combines field, laboratory and molecular studies to investigate the underlying mechanisms of sexual selection and speciation. Of particular interest to me are the evolutionary implications of intragenomic conflict and non-Mendelian inheritance. My experience in the Tropics has led to a keen interest in speciation and the mechanisms by which populations become reproductively isolated. Recent breakthroughs in molecular technology, combined with new methods for estimating selection and reproductive success in field populations, now make it possible to address these longstanding evolutionary questions in new and innovative ways.

By extending the scope of research beyond mating to the point of fertilization, single-locus DNA profiling has enabled me to investigate how polyandry, environmental heterogeneity and the complex components of sexual selection interact to govern the evolution of exaggerated male traits in natural populations. Research in our laboratory has also involved multilocus DNA fingerprinting, in conjunction with mitochondrial DNA sequencing, protein electrophoresis, morphometric analyses, and reproductive compatibility experiments, to demonstrate the existence of cryptic species in the neotropical harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides. Current research is focussed on determining the roles of postcopulatory processes and parent-of-origin gene expression in the evolution of reproductive isolation in this cryptic species complex.

Selected Publications

Koop, J.L., D.W. Zeh, M.M. Bonilla & J.A. Zeh. 2009. Reproductive compensation favours male-killing Wolbachia in a live-bearing host. Proc. R.
Soc. Lond. B. 276, 4021-4028.

Zeh, D.W. & J.A. Zeh. 2009. Transposable elements and an epigenetic basis for punctuated equilibria. BioEssays, 31: 715-726

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2008. Maternal inheritance, epigenetics and the evolution of polyandry. Genetica 134, 45-54. (THIS REPLACES "ONLINE FIRST"
CITATION CURRENTLY LISTED)

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2008. Viviparity-driven conflict: more to speciation than meets the fly. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1133, 126-148.

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2007. Mate choice by non-virgin females contributes to reproductive isolation between populations of the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion. Ethology 113, 1202-1211.

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2006. Outbred embryos rescue inbred half siblings in mixed paternity broods of live-bearing females. Nature, 439, 201-203.

Zeh, D.W., J.A. Zeh & M.M. Bonilla. 2005. Wolbachia, sex ratio bias and apparent male killing in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion. Heredity 95, 41-49.

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2005. Maternal inheritance, sexual conflict and the maladapted male. Trends Genet. 21, 281-286.

Zeh J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2003. Toward a new sexual selection paradigm: polyandry, conflict and incompatibility. Ethology 109, 929-950.

Zeh J.A., D.W. Zeh & M.M. Bonilla. 2003. Phylogeography of the harlequin beetle-riding pseudoscorpion and the rise of the Isthmus of Panamá. Molecular Ecology 12, 2759-2769

Zeh D.W. & J.A. Zeh. 2002. Maternal-fetal conflict. In Encyclopedia of Evolution, M. Pagel (Ed.). Oxford University Press, N.Y.

Zeh J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 2001. Reproductive mode and the genetic benefits of polyandry. Animal Behaviour 61, 1051-1063.

Zeh D.W. & J.A. Zeh. 2000. Reproductive mode and speciation: the viviparity-driven conflict hypothesis. BioEssays 22, 938-946.

Newcomer S.D., J.A. Zeh & D.W. Zeh. 1999. Genetic benefits enhance the reproductive success of polyandrous females. Proceedings of the National Acadeny of Sciences USA 96, 10236-10241.

Zeh D.W. & J.A. Zeh. 1999. Transmission distortion at a minisatellite locus in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion. Journal of Heredity 90, 320-323.

Zeh J.A., A.D. Zeh & D.W. Zeh. 1999. Dump material as an effective small-scale deterrent to herbivory by Atta cephalotes. Biotropica 31: 368-371.

Zeh J.A., S.D. Newcomer & D.W. Zeh. 1998. Polyandrous females discriminate against previous mates. . Proceedings of the National Acadeny of Sciences USA 95, 13732-13736.

Wilcox, T., L. Hugg, J.A. Zeh & D.W. Zeh. 1997. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing reveals extreme genetic differentiation in a cryptic species complex of neotropical seudoscorpions. Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution 7:208-216.

Zeh, D.W., J.A. Zeh & E. Bermingham. 1997. Polyandrous, sperm-storing females: carriers of male genotypes through episodes of adverse selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 264:119-125.

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 1997. Homozygosity, self-recognition and aggressive ability in the sea anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima. The American Naturalist 149:785-789.

Zeh, J.A. & D.W. Zeh. 1997. The evolution of polyandry II: post-copulatory defenses against genetic incompatibility. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 264:69-75.

University of Nevada, Reno
Biology Department m/s 314
Reno, NV 89557

email Dr. David W. Zeh

Office phone
775-784-1648
FAX number
775-784-1302

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