Wendy Marussich

Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Phone: (520) 626-7009
Email: wmarussi@email.arizona.edu

• Curriculum Vitae (pdf)
• Research Interests
• Publications

I am a field-based community ecologist currently using molecular techniques to address the evolutionary genetics of the fig-fig wasp mutualism, although my research focus spans four distinct areas:

• Evolutionary genetics of the fig-fig wasp mutualism
• Costs and benefits of ant-plant seed dispersal mutualisms
• Tri-tropic dynamics of arthropod communities in urban and desert areas
• Comparisons of urban ecological footprints based on water usage

Although I am broadly trained as a community ecologist, I have often felt limited by the questions I can ask, especially in my main areas of interest—mutualisms and coevolution. Molecular techniques are becoming standard in ecological research, and thus I am currently learning the tools and the language of evolutionary genetics to address ecological questions. I am using PCR and DNA sequencing to examine both pollinating and non-pollinating fig wasps collected from Panama, and will combine these molecular data with ecological data collected in the field to address questions in mutualisms and coevolution.