February 14th:
Discussion: Caitlin & Emily

Who-s-Who: Josh & Pia
Food: Suzy

Weber JN, Peterson BK, Hoekstra HE. 2013. Discrete genetic modules are responsible for complex burrow evolution in Peromyscus mice. Nature 493: 402-5

This paper describes a genetic basis for what Richard Dawkins called an “extended phenotype”. While a phenotype is the collection of traits (morphology, phsyiology, behavior), and extended phenotype is the effect an organism has on its environment (e.g. a beaver dam). Here, the organism is a mouse and the extended phenotype is the burrow.

The following is a good summary of extended phenotype.
Hunter (2009) Extended phenotype redux How far can the reach of genes extend in manipulating the environment of an organism, EMBO 10:212-215.

This paper might seem simple at first.... but beware, there is much in the supplemental figures and tables that will be important.

There are also additional methods in the online version.

For background on QTL analysis I suggest this simple tutorial

mouse