Contact Information
Fisheries Division207A O'Neill
P.O. Box 757220
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
Phone: (907) 474-7828
Fax: (907) 474-7204
jalopez2@alaska.edu
Andres Lopez Assistant Professor
Affiliations
- Museum of the North, Curator of Fishes
- Florida Museum of Natural History, Assistant Scientist, Courtesy
Specialties
- Fish taxonomy and phylogenetics
- Molecular phylogenetics and evolution
- Phylogeography and population genetics of fishes
Education
- M.S. 1998 University of Washington (Fisheries)
- Ph.D. 2003 Iowa State University
- Post.Doc. 2004 Field Museum of Natural History (Fish Molecular Systematics)
Courses
Spring 2009
- Ichthyology (FISH F427)
- Ichthyology (FISH F427)
Spring 2010
- Ichthyology (FISH F427)
Research Overview
The focus of my research is on fish diversity and evolution. I study the systematics (taxonomy and classification) of fishes using a combination of morphology- and gene-based lines of evidence. The goal of this work is to produce accurate and precise information on the nature and geographic distribution of fish biological diversity. In turn, this knowledge provides the foundation for examining other characteristics of evolution (e.g. molecular evolution, timing of diversification and colonization, etc).
I am interested in supervising students that have an interest in integrating investigations of diverse aspects of fish biology to better understand the evolutionary processes that shape the patterns of diversity evident in genealogical relationships among fish groups and in their geographic distribution. Below are some examples of the type of studies conducted in my lab:
> Population genetics and phylogeography of the pickerels, genus Esox
> Phylogenetic relationships among sharks of the family Triakidae
> Phylogenetic relationships among euteleost fishes
> Phylogeography and species boundary determination among populations of the pirate perch, Aphredoderus sayanus
> Taxonomic revision of catfishes of the Asia genus Pseudobagrus
> Molecular evolution of retrotransposable elements among members of the genus Esox
Current Research Projects
- Genome Size and Karyotype Evolution in Esociform Fishes (NSF, 2006-2009)
- Assembling the Euteleost Tree of Life (NSF, 2007-2012)