evolution – Faculty /faculty Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:08:10 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 /wp-content/themes/b/bates-framework/styles/images/bates-favicon.png evolution – Faculty /faculty 32 32 April L. Horton /faculty/profile/april-l-horton/ Sat, 28 Jul 2018 11:01:34 +0000 /faculty/profile/april-l-hill/ Pronouns: she/her/hers

Ph.D. Human Genetics, University of Houston

Research interests
My research is focused on studying the evolution of conserved gene regulatory networks. In my lab, we are particularly interested in how changes to genomes and gene regulatory networks have led to the diversity of animal forms and functions. We use marine and freshwater sponges as model systems to ask questions about the genetics and development of animal evolution and symbioses. Sponges are ancient animals that retain characteristics of an early and successful experiment in multicellularity while also sharing some highly conserved features (e.g., stem cells) and molecular blueprints with all other animals, including humans. These unique features provide a system where we can explore hypotheses about the evolution of all animals.

Student Research Opportunities
Research projects in my lab focus on the role of conserved developmental control genes and gene regulatory networks that are uniquely animal, but may have originated prior to the advent of adaptations such as nervous and immune systems, muscles, or eyes. We also study gene networks and the molecular linkages between intracellular algal symbionts and sponges as we try to understand how the host:symbiont interaction is important for animal development and function. Along these lines, some students also study the unique features of the symbiotic microalgae that inhabit sponge cells. We employ molecular, cellular, developmental, and functional genomic approaches and frequently collaborate with field biologists and computational scientists to address our questions. The research projects in my lab have implications for basic biomedical research as well as environmental and climate change studies.

 

Selected Publications

(*denotes student co-author)

A.L. Horton, H. Neighmond*, A. Neighmond*, R. Anderson*, M. Lessard, V. Price, S.P. Leys, A. Riesgo. (2026) Molecular and spatial integration of algal endosymbionts of the freshwater sponge, Ephydatia muelleri, throughout development in light and dark conditions. BMC Genomics. 27, 763. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-026-12618-w

R. Cassidy, L. de la Cruz, K. Mitsi, C. Galià-Camps, A. Benítez-López, C. Gracia-Sancha, J. Lorente-Sorolla, A. Álvarez, R. Mozo, S. Kolomyjec, S. Nichols, R. Manconi, R. Pereira, K. Evans, V. Itskovitch, A.L. Horton, S.P. Leys, S. Taboada, A. Riesgo. (2026) Genomic Connectivity and Adaptation Signals of the Freshwater Sponge Ephydatia muelleri across its distribution. Journal of Biogeography. 53:e70142.

C. Cevallos*, A.L. Leigh White*, B. Fazio*, L. Wendt, J. Feng, D. Posfai, A.L. Horton, J. Warrick, O.A. Quintero-Carmona. (2025) Transcriptomic Analysis of CAD Cell Differentiation. microPublication Biology. 10.17912.

S.P. Leys, L Grombacher, D. Field, V. Ho, G.R.D. Elliot, A.S. Kahn, P. Reid, A. Riesgo, E. Lanna, Y. Bobkov, J.F. Ryan, A.L. Horton. (2025) A Morphological Cell Atlas of the Freshwater Sponge, Ephydatia muelleri, with Key Insights from Targeted Single-Cell Transcriptomes. EvoDevo 16:1.

H. Neighmond*, A. Quinn*, B. Schmandt*, K. Ettinger*, A.L. Hill, L. Williams. (2023) Developmental Bisphenol S Toxicity in Two Freshwater Animal Models. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 104:104311..

M.S. Hill, B. Lawson, J.W. Cain, N. Rahman*, S. Toolsidass*, T. Wang*, S. Geraghty*, E. Raymundo*, A.L. Hill, (2023) Sustained Beneficial Infections: Priority Effects, Competition, and Specialization Drive Patterns of Association in Phototroph:Heterotroph Mutualisms. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11.

K. Hustus, K. Mitsi, J. Nutakki*, V. Kering*, I. Nguyen*, M. Gomes Spencer*, S.P. Leys, M.S. Hill, A. Riesgo, A.L. Hill (2023) Algal Symbionts of the Freshwater Sponge Ephydatia muelleri. Symbiosis. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13199-023-00934-8.

S. Jones, A. Blake, L. Corado-Santiago, J Crenshaw, E. Goldman, F. Gomez, C. Hall, H. Hoke, S. Holmes, B. Kornegay, P. Kwarteng, B. Lawson, M. Leber, G. Leconte, E. Modeste, K. Nolin, M. Norris, J. Santinni Roma, A. Swackhammer, M. Torres, J. Wares, D. Williams, A. Hill, K. Hoke, C. Parish, BD Pierce. (2023) A SMART Decade: Outcomes of an Integrated, Inclusive, First-Year College-Level STEM Curricular Innovation. Frontiers in Education 8:1152339. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1152339

S. Geraghty*, V. Koutsouveli, C. Hall, L. Chang*, O. Sacristan-Sorianob , M.S. Hill, A. Riesgo, A.L. Hill (2021) Establishment of host:algal endosymbioses: Genetic response to symbiont versus prey in a sponge host. Genome Biology and Evolution. 13: evab252..

C. Hall, S, Camilli, H. Dwaah, B. Kornegay, C. Lacy, M.S. Hill, A.L. Hill (2021) Freshwater sponge hosts and their green algae symbionts: a tractable model to understand intracellular symbiosis. PeerJ.11:e10654. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10654

N.J. Kenny, W.R. Francis, R.E. Rivera-Vicéns, K. Jurval, A. de Mendoza, C. Díez-Vives, R. Lister, L. Bezares-Calderon, L. Grombacher, M. Roller, L.D. Barlow, S. Camilli*, J.F. Ryan, G. Wöheide, A.L. Hill, A. Riesgo, S.P. Leys (2020) Tracing animal genomic evolution with the chromosomal-level assembly of the freshwater spongeEphydatia muelleri. Nature Communications. 11: 3676. https://rdcu.be/b5ROn

C. Hall, M. Rodriguez*, J. Garcia*, D. Posfai*, R. Dumez*, E. Wictor*, O. Quintero, M. Hill, A. Rivera, A. Hill (2019) Secreted frizzled related protein is a target of PaxB and plays a role in aquiferous system development in the freshwater sponge,Ephydatia muelleri. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0212005

O. Sacristán-Soriano, M. Winkler, P. Erwin, J. Weisz, O. Harriott, G. Heussler, E. Bauer, B. West Marsden*, A. Hill, M. Hill (2019) Ontogeny of symbiont community structure in two carotenoid-rich, viviparous marine sponges: comparison of microbiomes and analysis of culturable pigmented heterotrophic bacteria. Environmental Microbiology Reports.

P. Windsor-Reid, E. Matveev, A. McClymont, D. Posfai*, A. Hill, S.P. Leys (2018) Wnt signaling and polarity in freshwater sponges. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 18:12.

J. Cramer, D. Pohlmann*, F. Gomez, L. Mark*, B. Kornegay*, C. Hall*, N. Walavalkar, S. Bilinovich, J. Prokop, A. Hill, D. Williams (2017) Methylation specific targeting of a chromatin remodeling complex from sponges to humans.Scientific Reports. 7:40674.

Q. Schenkelaars, O. Quintero, C. Hall*, L. Fierro-Constain, E. Renard, C. Borchiellini, A. Hill (2016) ROCK inhibition abolishes the establishment of the aquiferous system inEphydatia muelleri (Porifera, Demospongiae).Developmental Biology. 412: 298-310.

]]> Malcolm S. Hill /faculty/profile/malcolm-s-hill/ Sat, 30 Jun 2018 11:00:46 +0000 /faculty/profile/malcolm-s-hill/ Pronouns: he/him/his

Ph.D. Marine Evolutionary Ecology, University of Houston

Research interests
I am broadly interested in the evolutionary placement of sponges in the broader scope of metazoan history, and the role sponges and their symbionts play in the communities in which they reside. Research in my lab has focused on the phylogenetics of Porifera, the ecological role sponges play in their ecosystems, phenotypic plasticity and the genetic control of aspects of development, body size evolution, and interspecific interactions and how they are negotiated (especially in the realm of intracellular symbiosis). Some questions we pursue include: What unique features of sponges shed light on the earliest evolution of animals? How does one organism (the symbiont) end up residing within another (the host) and how are these interactions maintained through evolutionary time? How do two organisms with distinct evolutionary histories and trajectories coexist in intimate interactions? How does specialization evolve? We use marine and freshwater sponges as models and work in habitats ranging from tropical coral reefs to temperate streams in Maine. New work on cricoid mycorrhizal symbioses has also begun with a detailed microscopic analysis of the Diapensiaceae.

Student Research Opportunities
Research in my lab is trans-disciplinary and highly collaborative. We use a broad diversity of tools, but also partner with experts who have skills in many different areas. Our work involves the use of traditional field-based research as part of our ecological work, modeling approaches to understand symbiosis, and microscopy and molecular analyses to study a range of phenomena. While we have a strong focus on symbionts and sponges, we are also doing work with fungal partners associated with the roots of plants.

]]> Larissa M. Williams /faculty/profile/larissa-m-williams/ Mon, 31 Aug 2015 15:25:29 +0000 /faculty/profile/larissa-m-williams/ Ph.D., Environmental Toxicology, North Carolina State University
B.A., Biological Sciences, Smith College

Research Interests

The Williams Lab tests the hypothesis that organisms, at various stages of their lives, are enabled through molecular changes to respond to alterations in their environment. Because molecular biology is a universally powerful tool to explore these questions, we have been able to ask questions in animals and plants as diverse as zebrafish, crabs, and sea grass. The majority of projects in the lab are, however, focused on how specific proteins (called transcription factors) work to coordinate normal development and respond to toxicants and oxidative stress agents. We study these proteins in a freshwater fish called the zebrafish.

Student Research Opportunities

Are you interested in how organisms grow? How about questions related to how chemicals can affect our health and well-being? In my lab using molecular, biochemical, imaging, and computational approaches, students can explore these questions working the zebrafish model. Please contact me if you have any interest in working in the lab.

Selected Publications

* denotes ֲý student

Williams LM, Bowsher AM, *Chrysovergi M-A, Ambrose WG Jr (2020). Bloodworm (Glycera dibranchiataEhlers, 1868) populations in the Gulf of Maine are connected through gene flow.Marine Science and Biology.1:1-4.

Sant KE, *Moreau HM,Williams LM, Jacobs HM, Bowsher AM, *Boisvert JD, Smolowitz RM, *Pantazis J, Timme-Laragy A (2020). Embryonic exposures tomono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate induce larval steatosis in zebrafish independent of Nrf2a signaling.Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease.doi: 10.1017/S2040174420000057.

*Ulin A, *Henderson J, *Pham M-T, *Meyo J, *Chen Y, Karchner SI, Goldstone JV, Hahn ME,Williams LM(2019). Developmental regulation of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factors (Nrfs) by AHR1b in zebrafish (Danio rerio).Toxicological Sciences,167(2): 536-545.

Jacobs HM, Sant KE, Basnet A,Williams LM, Moss JB, Timme-Laragy A (2018). Embryonic exposure to Mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP) disrupts pancreatic organogenesis in zebrafish (Danio rerio).𳾴Dz,195:498-507.

Sant KE, Hansen JM,Williams LM, *Tran NL, Goldstone JV, Stegeman JJ, Hahn ME, Timme-Laragy A (2017). The role of Nrf1 and Nrf2 in the regulation of glutathione and redox dynamics in the developing embryos.Redox Biology,13:207-218.

Lord JP,Williams LM(2017). Northward Expansion of Genetically Diverse Invasive Asian Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) Populations.Biological Invasions,19(4): 1153-1168.

Williams LM, *Lago B, McArthur AG, Raphenya AR, *Pray N, *Saleem N, *Salas S, *Paulson K, *Mangar R, Liu Y, Vo AH, Shavit J (2016). The transcription factor, Nuclear factor, erythroid 2 (Nfe2), is a regulator of the oxidative stress response duringDanio reriodevelopment.Aquatic Toxicology,180:141-154.

Williams LM, *Nivison CL, Ambrose WG Jr, *Dobbin R, Locke WL V (2015). Lack of adult novel northern lineages of invasive green crabCarcinus maenasalong much of the northern US Atlantic coast.Marine Ecology Progress Series,532:153-159.

]]> Donald C. Dearborn /faculty/profile/donald-c-dearborn/ Mon, 31 Aug 2015 15:24:27 +0000 /faculty/profile/don-c-dearborn/ Professor of Biology

Evolution, Behavior, and Conservation Biology

My research asks why animals do the things they do, and how we can do a better job of mitigating our impacts on the natural world. Combining lab work with fieldwork on remote islands, I explore how evolution and human activity shape the genetics and behavior of animals, sometimes conveniently intersecting with my love of trail running and mountain adventures.. Recurring research themes include mate choice, parental investment strategies, population structure, and host-parasite evolution. Most of this work is with seabirds and songbirds.I use a mix of lab methods (mainly genetics tools) and field methods.

My recent teaching at ֲý includes: Avian Biology, Genetics of Conservation Biology (BIES 333), Evolution and Interactions of Life (BIO 206), a Host-Parasite Evolution version of BIO 195, Biological Research Experience: Molecules to Ecosystems (BIO 204), and Advanced Topics in Evolution (BIO 355).

Selected Publications

Stratton JB*, Dearborn DC. 2021. Nest sanitation behavior does not increase the likelihood of parasitic egg rejection in herring gulls. Current Zoology 67:675-681.

Rand L*, Woodward C*, May R*, Ackerman RA*, Tweedie B*, Zicarelli TB*, Dearborn DC. 2019. Divergence between genes but limited allelic polymorphism in two MHC class II A genes in Leach’s storm-petrelsOceanodroma leucorhoa.Immunogenetics71:561-573.

Tonelli B* and Dearborn DC. 2019. An individual-based model for the dispersal ofIxodesscapularisby ovenbirds and wood thrushes during fall migration.Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases10:1096-1104.

Mauck RA, Dearborn DC, and Huntington CE. 2018. Annual Global Mean Temperature explains reproductive success in a marine vertebrate from 1955-2010.Global Change Biology24:1599-1613.

Dearborn DC, Kark S. 2010. Motivations for conserving urban biodiversity.Conservation Biology24:432-440.

* = ֲý student

 

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