UVA Biology People Alan Bergland

Alan Bergland

Associate Professor of Biology
410 PLSB
(434) 924-1930

Education

  • B.S., University of Oregon (Biology, with honors), 2004
  • B.S., University of Oregon (Philosophy), 2004
  • Ph.D., Brown University, 2010
  • Postdoc, Stanford University, 2010-2015

Research Interests

The Bergland lab seeks to understand the evolutionary and ecological forces that maintain functional genetic variation in the genome. Current projects include the genetics and physiology of rapid adaptation over seasonal time scales in Drosophila, adaptive evolution through time and space of predator induced phenotypic plasticity in Daphnia, and supergene evolution in birds. We conduct this work using tools and techniques ranging from molecular and statistical genetics to population genomics to field ecology. 

Representative Publications

  • Bergland, A.O., Tobler, R., González, J., Schmidt, P. & Petrov, D. (2015). Secondary contact and local adaptation contribute to genome-wide patterns of clinal variation in Drosophila melanogaster. In press, Molecular Ecology, 10.1111/mec.13455.
     
  • Bergland, A.O., E. Behrman, K. O'Brien, P. Schmidt & D. PetroV (2014). Genomic evidence of rapid and stable adaptive oscillations over seasonal time scales in Drosophila. PLoS Genetics, 10(11): e1004775. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004775.
     
  • Bergland, A.O., Chae, H.S., Kim, Y.J. & Tatar, M. (2012). Fine scale mapping of natural variation in fly fecundity identifies neuronal domain of expression and function of an aquaporin. PLoS Genetics, 8(4): e1002631.
     
  • Bergland, A.O., Genisse,l A., Nuzhdin, S.V. & Tatar, M. (2008). Quantitative trait loci affecting phenotypic plasticity and the allometric relationship of ovariole number and thorax length in Drosophila melanogasterGenetics, 180: 576-582.