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Research Interests

• Evolutionary genetics, and its relationship to conservation.

Research Description

Evolutionary processes within and among populations are important determinants of species persistence; I am especially interested in processes that aren’t immediately apparent. Much of my current research focuses on the role that infectious disease plays in demography. While human diseases are well characterized, the impact of parasitism (in its broadest sense) on populations of animals in their native range is poorly known. I am interested in quantifying changes in the frequencies of alleles at Major Histocompatibility loci, in space and time, to infer how much influence parasitism exerts on reproductive success.

Recent Publications

• Purcell, J.F.H., Cowen, R.K., Hughes, C.R. and Williams, D.A. (2009). . Journal of Fish Biology 74:403-417.
• Hughes C.R., Miles, S. and Walbroehl, J.M. (2008). Support for the minimal MHC hypothesis: a parrot with a single, highly polymorphic, MHC class II B gene. Immunogenetics 60:219-231.
• Sachs, J.L., Hughes, C.R., Nuechterlein, G.L. and Buitron, D. (2007). Auk 124:628-642.
• Purcell, J.F.H., Cowen, R.K., Hughes, C.R. and Williams, D.A. (2006). . Proc Royal Soc Lond, Ser B. 273(1593):1483-1490.