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Wynn Meyer, assistant professor of biology at Lehigh University

Wynn Meyer

Assistant Professor

610.758.5603
wym219@lehigh.edu
D212- Iacocca Hall

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Additional Interests

  • Bioinformatics
  • Comparative Genomics
  • Convergent Evolution
  • Population Genetics

Research Statement

The Meyer lab uses variation in genomes to learn about the evolutionary history of humans and other living things, as well as how they adapt to their environments. In particular, we look at how similar patterns of genetic variation in different lineages that have evolved the same traits can provide clues as to which genes are important for these traits. We use methods from both population genetics, which focuses on evolution within species (e.g., within humans), and phylogenetics and comparative genomics, which look at evolution across broader evolutionary timescales (e.g., throughout mammals). In this work, we apply and adapt a range of bioinformatics tools to analyze data from many genomes.

One set of traits that we are currently investigating relates to mammalian diets. Diet varies widely throughout the mammalian family tree, and several dietary specializations have evolved repeatedly both within closely related groups and between distantly related species. This combination of trait variation and repeated, or convergent, evolution, means that dietary traits represent great case studies for exploring how natural selection acts on genes involved in dietary specialization across multiple timescales. These studies may also provide insights into susceptibility to metabolic disease and other challenges to modern human society. We are currently investigating patterns of gene and regulatory evolution associated with transitions to herbivory, a specialized phenotype that has evolved many times across a diverse set of mammals.

Publications

Martí-Carreras J, Gener AR, Miller SD, Brito AF, Camacho CE, Connor R, Deboutte W, Glickman C, Kristensen DM, Meyer WK et al. NCBI’s Virus Discovery Codeathon: Building “FIVE” —The Federated Index of Viral Experiments API Index. Viruses. 2020; 12:1424.

Kowalczyk A*, Meyer WK*, Partha R*, Mao W, Clark NL, Chikina M. RERconverge: An R package for associating evolutionary rates with convergent traits. Bioinformatics. 2019;35:4815–7. *contributed equally
 

Meyer WK, Jamison J, Richter R, Woods SE, Kronk C, Partha R, Chikina M, Bonde RK, Crocker DE, Gaspard J, Lanyon JM, Marsillach J, Furlong CE, and Clark NL. Ancient convergent losses of Paraoxonase 1 yield potential risks for modern marine mammals. Science. 2018 Aug; 361, 591-594.

Meyer WK*, Venkat A*, Kermany A, van de Geijn B, Zhang S, and Przeworski M. Evolutionary history inferred from the de novo assembly of a non-model organism, the blue-eyed black lemur. Molecular Ecology. 2015 Aug;24(17):4392-4405. *contributed equally

Meyer WK*, Zhang S*, Hayakawa S, Imai H, and Przeworski M. The convergent evolution of blue iris pigmentation in primates took distinct molecular paths. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Jul;151(3):398-407. *contributed equally

Leffler, EM, Bullaughey K*, Matute DR*, Meyer WK*, Segurel L*, Venkat A*, Andolfatto P, and Przeworski M. Revisiting an Old Riddle: What Determines Genetic Diversity Levels within Species? PLoS Biol. 2012 Sep;10(9):e1001388. *contributed equally

Perry GH, Xue Y, Smith RS, Meyer WK, Caliskan M, Yanez-Cuna O, Lee AS, Gutierrez-Arcelus M, Ober C, Hollox EJ, Tyler-Smith C, and Lee C. Evolutionary genetics of the human Rh blood group system. Hum Genet. 2012 Jul;131(7):1205-16.

Meyer WK, Arbeithuber B, Ober C, Ebner T, Tiemann-Boege I, Hudson RR, and Przeworski M. Evaluating the evidence for transmission distortion in human pedigrees. Genetics. 2012 May;191(1):215-32.