Jen Wisecaver

Biography

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Education

PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson

Research Interests

Research in my lab is focused on the genomic basis of evolutionary innovation, which we study primarily in algae, including species that form harmful algal blooms. By integrating findings across diverse lineages of eukaryotes, my lab evaluates the timing, consequence, and generality of different genetic mechanisms underlying the evolution of novel traits in organisms. Questions asked in my lab include: What is the relative contribution of gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and other sources of innovation in the birth and diversification of new metabolic pathways? What is the speed and importance of innovation at the regulatory versus enzymatic level? How does the impact of these processes vary across lineages and environments? We are also investigating how eco-evolutionary feedback shapes the genetic diversity of toxic algae and their associated aquatic community and how this feedback impacts toxin production and algal bloom cycling.

Representative Publications:

• Fallon, TR, VV Shende, IH Wierzbicki, AL Pendelton, NF Watervoort, RP Auber, DJ Conzalez, JH Wisecaver, & BS Moore. 2024. Giant polyketise synthase enzymes in the biosynthesis of giant marine polyether toxins. Science. 385: 671-678.
• Wisecaver, JH, RP Auber, AL Pendleton, NF Watervoort, TR Fallon, OL Riedling, SR Manning, BS Moore, & WW Driscoll. 2023. Extreme genome diversity and cryptic speciation in a harmful algal bloom forming eukaryote. Current Biology. 33: 2246-2259
• Eastman, KE, AL Pendleton, MA Shaikh, T Suttiyut, R Ogas, P Tomko, G Gavelis, JR Widhalm & JH Wisecaver. A reference genome for the long-term kleptoplast-retaining sea slug Elysia crispata morphotype clarki. G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. 13: jkad234.
• Driscoll, WW, JH Wisecaver, J Hackett, N Espinosa, J Padway, J Engers, & J Bower. Behavioral differences underlie toxicity and predation variation in blooms of Prymnesium parvum. Ecology Letters. 26: 677-691.
• Suttiyut, T, R Auber, JW Crook, E Yakubova, JH Wisecaver & JR Widhalm. 2022. Global coexpression network analysis reveals the extraplastidal origin of the geranyl diphosphate precursor of shikonin. Horticulture Research. 9: uhab087.