Laboratory for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics

One of the limitations of molecular phylogenetics is that we usually need fresh/frozen specimens in order to extract and analyze intact DNA. In most cases, traditional Museum insect collections are not suitable for molecular work, due to the relatively rapid degradation of DNA molecules in unfrozen tissues. Therefore, our research requires a large amount of fieldwork to obtain fresh specimens of our target species; and many of the species we're interested in are found only in remote locations!

Here are just a few photos from our recent fieldwork expeditions:

Costa Rica

Belize

St. John

Chile

French Guiana

Ghana

Guatemala

Peru

Sarawak

Zambia