Jeff Leips
Professor
| Phone |
410-455-2238
|
|---|---|
| leips@umbc.edu | |
| Education |
Ph D, Florida State University (1997)
BS, Florida State University (1983)
|
| Website | http://leipslab.umbc.edu |
About
B.S., Ph.D. Florida State University (Ph.D. Advisor: Dr. Joseph Travis), NRSA Post Doctoral Fellow North Carolina State University (Post doctoral mentor: Dr. Trudy Mackay)
Research Interests
Our research is focused on understanding the genetic basis of natural variation in life history traits using the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism. We are particularly interested in identifying genes that control age-specific changes in traits that contribute to senescence and ultimately limit life span. These traits include age-specific reproduction, immune response and energy storage. We are also actively studying the ecology of natural populations of Drosophila to identify the agents of selection acting on genes controlling these traits. Our goal is to combine knowledge of the natural history of this species with an understanding of the genetic architecture of these traits to help explain the maintenance of genetic variation in age-related changes in fitness in natural populations.
Teaching Interests
Biology 142:Ecology and Evolution, Biology 483/683: Evolution: From Genes to Genomes, Biology 487: Medical Case Studies, Biology 712: Mentoring in the Sciences
Selected Classes
| Fall 2016 | BIOL 483 – Evol: From Genes To Genomes |
|---|---|
| BIOL 487 – Medical Case Studies | |
| Spring 2016 | BIOL 142 – Foundations of Biology: Ecolog |
Intellectual Contributions
(2017) Pleiotropy, constraint, and modularity in the evolution of life histories: insights from genomic analyses Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
(2016) Knockdown expression of Syndecan in the fat body impacts nutrient metabolism and the organismal response to environmental stresses in Drosophila melanogaster. Biochemical and biophysical research communications
(2016) Review of the genus Leptopilina (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae, Eucoilinae) from the Eastern United States, including three newly described species JOURNAL OF HYMENOPTERA RESEARCH
(2016) Development and Assessment of Modules to Integrate Quantitative Skills in Introductory Biology Courses Cell Biology Education
(2015) Variable light environments induce plastic spectral tuning by regional opsin coexpression in the African cichlid fish, Metriaclima zebra. Molecular ecology
(2014) Phagocytic ability declines with age in adult Drosophila hemocytes Aging Cell
(2013) The adaptive significance of population differentiation in offspring size of the least killifish, Heterandria formosa Ecology and Evolution
(2013) Defense traits of larval Drosophila melanogaster exhibit genetically based tradeoffs against different species of parasitoids. Evolution Evolution
(2013) Evolution in population parameters: density-dependence as a case study of reciprocity. American Naturalist American Naturalist
(2012) Age-specific variation in immune response in Drosophila melanogaster has a genetic basis Genetics
(2012) Genomic basis of extended lifespan and late-age fertility in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution
(2011) Road salt stress induces novel food web structure and interactions. Wetlands
Using Insects as Models of Immunosenescence Handbook of Immunosenescence: Basic Understanding and Clinical Applications
The genetic basis of variation in age-specific fecundity and lifespan in <I>Drosophila melanogaster is diet specific PLoS One