Dr. Jean Porterfield
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
Biomedical Studies Program Director
E-mail - porterfi@stolaf.edu
Phone - 507-786-3850
Office - Regents Hall 428
Ph.D. in biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL
Classes - Intermediate Genetics, Evolution and Diversity, Evolutionary Biology, Biosphere Ecology, Genetics and Society, Biology of Reproduction, Ways of Knowing Ecology
Research - Much of my research focuses on the use of DNA sequences to hypothesize relationships among species and populations of species. I use these hypotheses of relationship to study various types of biogeographical, population genetics, and evolutionary applications, working primarily with freshwater fishes in these endeavors.
Research could include any of these areas:
- Systematics of North American freshwater fishes;
- Population and conservation genetics;
- Community ecology and proximate/ultimate hypotheses of microhabitat partitioning;
- Proximate/ultimate hypotheses of mating behaviors;
- Mechanisms of character divergence during speciation;
- Interpreting ecological and behavioral data using phylogenies