Dr. Maria Servedio is a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of North Carolina and the President-Elect of the American Society of Naturalists. Her research uses mathematical models to explore topics including speciation and mate choice.
What do you study?
Maria Servedio studies evolutionary biology, using the theoretical approach of creating mathematical models to help explain evolutionary phenomena. Her research focuses specifically on speciation, which is “the process of one species splitting into two distinct species.” Another key topic of her research is the evolution of the ways animals choose their mates and the role that mate choice plays in the process of speciation. She also creates models of learning to study how learning affects the processes of mate choice and speciation. In addition, she has done various projects on the evolution of other behaviors in animals.
What do you find interesting about this topic?
Dr. Servedio is interested in discovering the reasons that females focus on certain traits when choosing their mates. She notes that “in most animal species, females are the ones that chose among [the] males that are courting them” and it is not entirely obvious to scientists why females base their choices on the traits that they do.
In regards to her interest in speciation, Dr. Servedio explains that for a long time scientists have been intrigued by the process of speciation and how it has resulted in “the amazing amount of biodiversity that we see today.” In fact, “Darwin’s book introducing the principles of evolution by natural selection… was titled On the Origin of Species,” illustrating how important this concept has been to the history of evolutionary biology.
Why do you use mathematical models? How do these help you to understand evolutionary phenomena?
Scientists often come up with “verbal chains of logic” when trying to explain how behaviors or other traits have evolved. However, these verbal chains of logic could be faulty, and it is difficult to identify where the fault in the logic occurs. Therefore, Dr. Servedio uses mathematical models to test these verbal chains of logic by mathematically laying out the assumptions of the argument to see if they will actually produce the predicted result. Since math is more precise and accurate than verbal logic, it can be used to figure out if the logic is correct or to identify the fault in the logic.
Why is your research important? How have you contributed to your field?
Dr. Servedio notes that scientists already have a good understanding of how speciation can occur if the two populations are geographically separated. The populations will evolve separately for a long period of time, and if they come in contact again they may be so different that the individuals from one population no longer recognize individuals of the other population as being of the same species. They may no longer interbreed, or hybrids between them are not viable (able to survive) or fertile (able to reproduce), indicating speciation. However, it is much less understood how and when speciation can occur if there is not complete geographic separation between the two populations (this is called speciation with gene flow). Dr. Servedio has contributed many mathematical models to help scientists understand in what situations and under what conditions the process of speciation with gene flow can occur.
For more about Maria Servedio visit her lab website: https://sites.google.com/view/servedio-lab
Part 2 Will be Uploaded 4/11
About The Author
Marcella is currently a sophomore at Northwood High School. She is interested in biodiversity and animal behavior, and she plans to work in Conservation Biology. She plays the piano and also enjoys reading, baking, and being outside.
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