WELCOME!  Work within our research group stretches across the fields of evolutionary biology and disease ecology.  Regarding evolution, we are interested in how uniparentally inherited genetic elements (e.g. Y-chromosomes) influence the evolution of complex phenotypes in counterintuitive ways. With regard to disease ecology and eco-immunology, we address how anthropogenic disturbances (such as climate change and pollution) can influence insect vector immunity and their capacity to transmit disease. Where these fields overlap is also of interest; for instance, how anthropogenic disturbances will influence the future evolution of insect vector immune function and disease prevalence. These diverse questions have caused us to utilize multiple animal systems (including fruit flies, crickets, psyllids, and mosquitoes) and to draw techniques from multiple scientific fields (including molecular biology, quantitative genetics, and ecotoxicology).

Research Foci: Eco immunology / disease ecology, evolutionary genetics, sexual selection, sexual conflict, and life history evolution

Ken Fedorka, Fedorka lab, Fedorka research, UCF, central florida