Emily Hornett

Insects, Sex and Parasites Research Group

 

Post Doctoral Researcher

University of Liverpool
School of Biological Sciences
Biosciences Building
Crown Street
Liverpool
L69 7ZB

Phone: +44 (0)151 7954528
Fax: +44 (0)151 795 4414
E-mail: e.hornett@liverpool.ac.uk

Field Location:

Gump Station
University of California Berkeley
BP 244, 98728 Moorea
French Polynesia

Phone: +689 56 52 87
/+689 26 90 18
Fax: +689 56 13 74

BRIEF CV

2007-present:   Research Associate, University of Liverpool
2003-2006:      PhD Evolutionary Genetics, UCL
1999-2002:      BSc Zoology (Hons), UCL
1998-1999:      Research Assistant, Frontier Vietnam

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research interests are wide and include population genetics, evolution, conservation and animal behaviour.  My PhD in evolutionary genetics concentrated on the interaction between the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina, and the maternally inherited bacterium Wolbachia.  In some populations of H. bolina the Wolbachia infection causes male-killing, while in others infected male hosts survive.  I demonstrated in one study that this difference in action of Wolbachia was due to the host evolving suppression of the male-killing phenotype.  Following on from this, my postdoc investigates the genetic architecture behind the suppression and ultimately the gene/genes responsible.  The spread of the suppressor from South East Asia through Polynesia will also be investigated.  In addition, I am interested in flux in the host-parasite interaction over time.  By utilising museum specimens, and comparing them to current specimens, the rise and fall in Wolbachia prevalence over time and in different populations can be studied. 

REFERENCES

Charlat S., Hornett E.A., Fullard, J.H., Davies, N., Roderick, G.K., Wedell, N. & Hurst, G.D.D. (2007) Extraordinary flux in sex-ratio Science In Press

Charlat S., Engelstädter, J., Dyson, E.A., Hornett E.A., Duplouy A.M.R., Tortosa, P., Davies N., Roderick G., Wedell N. & Hurst G.D.D. (2006) Competing selfish genetic elements in the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. Current Biology 16: 2453-2458

Charlat S., Reuter, M., Dyson, E.A., Hornett E.A., Duplouy A.M.R., Davies N., Roderick G., Wedell N. & Hurst G.D.D. (2006) Male-killing bacteria trigger a cycle of increasing male fatigue and female promiscuity Current Biology 17: 273-277

Hornett, E.A., Charlat, S., Duplouy, A.M.R., Davies, N., Roderick, G., Wedell, N. & Hurst, G.D.D. (2005) Evolution of Male Killer Suppression In a Natural Population PLoS 4: 1643-1648

Charlat S., Hornett E.A., Dyson E.A., Ho P.P.Y., Loc N.T. et al. (2005) Prevalence and penetrance variation of male killing Wolbachia across Indo-Pacific populations of the butterfly Hypolimnas bolina. Mol Ecol 14: 3525-3530.

Veneti, Z., Reuter, M., Montenegro, H., Hornett, E.A., Charlat, S. & Hurst, G.D.D. ‘The Wolbachia Paradigm’ In: The influence of cooperative bacteria on animal biology (CUP 2004)

 

University of Liverpool, School of Biological Sciences, Biosciences Building, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB
Website under construction by Kate Hutchence