Jeffry B. Mitton

Professor & Chair EBIO

mitton@colorado.edu
303-492-0505 (Chair's Office), 303-492-8956 (Lab)
Ramaley N134 (Chair's Office), Ramaley N235 (Lab)
Dr. Mitton's home page

Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1973

Research Interests

My primary research interests focus on the evolutionary forces that influence genetic variation within and among populations. DNA sequences of mitochondrial, chloroplast, and nuclear genes, and electrophoretic variation of proteins are used to characterize variation in populations of plants and animals. Phylogeographic studies are used to describe patterns of variation and to make historical inferences about glacial refugia and routes of migration.

I am particularly interested in three unique opportunities afforded by organellar genomes:

1) contrasting patterns of mtDNA and cpDNA in conifers; mtDNA is maternally inherited, and short dispersal, while cpDNA is paternally inherited and has potentially very long dispersal;

2) marine and freshwater have two mitochondrial systems, one with maternal inhertance, one with paternal inheritance;

3) mistletoes, which are parasitic on conifers, have stolen some genes from their hosts, and incorporated it into their chloroplast genomes.

Recent Publications

Mitton , J. B. and K. L. Duran. 2004. Genetic variation in piñon pine, Pinus edulis, associated with summer precipitation. Mol. Ecol. 13: 1259-1264.

Mitton , J. B. 2003. The union of ecology and evolution: extended phenotypes and community genetics. BioScience 53: 208-209.

Kreiser, B. R., J. B. Mitton , and J. Woodling. 2001. Phylogeography of the plains killifish, Fundulus zebrinus. Evolution 55: 339-350.

Latta, R. G., Y. B. Linhart and J. B. Mitton . 2001. Cytonuclear disequilibrium and genetic drift in a natural population of ponderosa pine. Genetics 158: 843-850.

Mitton , J. B., B. R. Kreiser, and R. G. Latta. 2000. Glacial refugia of limber pine (Pinus flexilis James) inferred from the population structure of mitochondrial DNA. Mol. Ecol. 9: 91-97.

Carter, P.A., J. B. Mitton , T.D. Kocher, and J.R. Coehlo. 2000. Maintenance of the Adh polymorphism in tiger salamanders II. Differences in biochemical function among allozymes. Functional Ecology 14: 70-76.

Kelley, S. T., B. D. Farrell, and J. B. Mitton . 2000. Effects of specialization on genetic differentiation in sister species of bark beetles. Heredity 84: 218-227.

Schuster, W. S. F. and J. B. Mitton . 2000. Paternity and gene dispersal in limber pine (Pinus flexilis James). Heredity 84: 348-361.

Mitton , J. B., B. R. Kreiser, and G. E. Rehfeldt. 2000. Primers designed to amplify a mitochondrial nad1 intron in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa, limber pine, P. flexilis, and Scots pine, P. sylvestris. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 101: 1269-1272.

Oline, D. and J. B. Mitton . 2000. Population and subspecific differentiation in Pinus balfouriana. Evolution 54: 1813-1819.

Kreiser, B. R., J. B. Mitton and J.D. Woodling. 2000. Single versus multiple sources of introduced populations identified with molecular markers: a case study of a freshwater fish. Biological Invasions 2:295-304.

Latta, R. G. and J. B. Mitton . 1999. Historical separation and present gene flow through a zone of secondary contact in ponderosa pine. Evolution 53: 769-776.

Kelley, S. T. and J. B. Mitton . 1999. Strong differentiation in mitochondrial DNA of Dendroctonus brevicomis (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) populations associated with different subspecies of ponderosa pine. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 92: 193-197.

Latta, R. G. and J. B. Mitton . 1999. Historical separation and present gene flow through a zone of secondary contact in ponderosa pine. Evolution 53: 769-776.

Mitton , J. B. 1998. Molecular markers and natural selection. In G. Carvalho (ed.) Advances in Molecular Ecology. NATO ASI Series.

Mitton , J. B., M. C. Grant, and A. M. Yoshino. 1998. Variation in allozymes and stomatal size in pinyon (Pinus edulis, Pinaceae), associated with soil moisture. American Journal of Botany 85: 1262-1265.

Latta, R. G. and J. B. Mitton . 1997. A comparison of population differentiation across four classes of gene marker in limber pine (Pinus flexilis James). Genetics 146: 1153-1163.

Mitton , J. B. 1997. Selection in Natural Populations. Oxford University Press, New York. 272 pp.