The role of pleiotropy in the evolution of innate immune system architecture
The current project focuses on addressing two fundamental, complementary questions in evolutionary biology: 1) What evolutionary forces shape and constrain the genetic architecture and deployment of immune systems, and 2) How does the genetic architecture of immune systems influence coevolutionary trajectories of host-parasite systems? Currently, both lines of inquiry are limited by poor integration of theory and experimental approaches, fundamentally inhibiting the successful interpretation of natural variation in host-parasite dynamics across the tree of life. To address this shortcoming, we combine mathematical models with manipulative experiments and computational genomics analyses in insect model systems.