Welcome to the EIU Molecular Sys

Although the lab is name Molecular Systematics Lab, we also conduct researches that are beyond the scope of 'traditional' molecular systematics. The lab is equipped with molecular biology equipments essential for the study of genetic diversity at all taxonomic levels, from relationships among populations to classes and phyla of organisms regardless of taxonomic groups. As such, the lab can provide facilities for the investigation of biological issues in a broad spectrum, especially in areas of evolutionary biology, including population genetics, evolutionary ecology, and phylogenetic systematics. In a way, the lab is a place for 'trespassers' of the traditional borderline between the macro (/organismal) and micro/molecular world of biology.

All EIU faculty members and students are encouraged to contact Dr. Zhiwei Liu for more information about lab usage and possible collaborations. Collaborations from outside is also welcome. The lab members listed below can also give you insightful information about the lab based on their personal experiences.

Brandon Jutras, Graduate student

His study was on the distribution of the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) in Southern Illinois. This particular tick species is a known carrier of several human pathogens, and readily feed on humans in every life stage. He is particularly interested in the application of molecular techniques in the identification and detection of pathogenic parasites , and specifically in using these techniques to evaluate the percentage of ticks infected with Borrelia lonestari, a newly discovered spirochete causing STARI disease in many parts of the Country. He is also interested in the affects the spirochete has on tick, specifically fecundity.

Brandon is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Kentucky.

Former members

Joanne Crawford

Joanne is a former graduate student working with Dr. Tom Nelson and myself on the genetic relationships among beaver living in central Illinois. This research is part of a larger ongoing project at Eastern that focuses on describing the ecology of this animal. This aquatic furbearer has traditionally been reported to be strictly monogamous, living in discrete colonies composed of an adult male and female, and their offspring. Joanne’s research addressed several questions regarding the occurrence of multiple paternity and relatedness within colonies, the relatedness of animals living in adjacent colonies, and the genetic differentiation between beaver populations in east-central and southern Illinois. Joanne developed unique primers to amplify several microsatellite loci in beaver DNA. She graduated in summer of 2007, and her master thesis has won the 2007 EIU Outstanding Mater Thesis Award. Her results are published in four articles by journals including Molecular Ecology Notes and Journal of Mammalogy.

Joanne is currently a Ph.D. student at University of Nevada, Reno.

William Beatty, Former Graduate student

Bill's study was on the origin of the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) population in northern Illinois. Utilizing both microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA, he is considering multiple possible sources of the population. One account implies red squirrels from Minnesota were released in Kankakee County in the 1970s. Alternatively, a small population may have persisted in Kankakee County through the early 1900s to the present. A final option favors immigration from Lake and Newton Counties in Indiana, areas known to consistently have red squirrels. Based on evidences from mtDNA and mircosatellite data, Bill's study concluded that the the Illinois population mostly is the result of immigration from the neighboring Indiana.

Bill is currently a Ph.D. student at Purdue University.