Dr. Marvin Wasserman

Professor Emeritus

Ph.D.(University of Texas)

Office: C.H - 106 - (Tel: (718) 997 - 4565)

E-mail: MSW$BIOL@QC1.QC.EDU

Research interests:

We have been carrying out a research investigation on the Drosophila repleta species group. These fruit flies are ideal for study. They have a short life cycle, produce many offspring, have very large chromosomes, and display complex mating behaviors. A great deal of information can be obtained in a relatively short period of time. One of the most interesting problems in modern evolutionary studies is the determination of the factors involved in speciation, the origin and evolution of two or more species from a single ancestral species. The repleta group is a most interesting group in that it has undergone explosive adaptive radiation - an extremely high rate of speciation - and, containing about 100 species, is now one of the largest species groups in the genus Drosophila. Therefore, speciation has played an important role in the evolution of these forms. We have available approximately 50 different species for study. Students may choose from a large number of projects including cytological, morphological, and sexual behavior approaches to the study of evolution.

Selected Publications:

1992 Wasserman, M., and Wasserman, F. Inversion polymorphism in island species of Drosophila, A chapter in Evolutionary Biology, M. Hecht, B. Wallace, and R. MacIntyre, Eds., vol. 26. Plenum Press, New York. In Press.

1992 Wasserman, M. Cytological evolution of the Drosophila repleta species group. A chapter in Inversion Polymorphism in Drosorphila, J. R. Powell and C.B. Krimbas, eds., CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, FL in Press.

1990 Wasserman, M., and Zweig, H. sexual preference for females reared on cactus media by Drosophila pegasa males. Evolution 45: 433-435