The Department is happy to announce that Zoe successfully defended her M.S. Thesis!  Zoe is going to graduate this December and then seek employment in a research based position to continue similar work with a Federal Agency such as USGS.  

Department of Integrative Biology Graduate Thesis Defense

Zoe Erkenbeck

M.S. Degree Candidate
CU Denver Department of Integrative Biology
Dr. Mike Wunder's Lab

When:  November 15, 2022 at 3:45p
Where:  In-person, North Classroom, Room 1608
Zoom: Please email Jacki Craig for the Zoom Link

Investigating the Genomics of Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) and  Charadriiformes phylogenies

Mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) belongs to the genus Charadriidae within the shorebirds, Charadriiformes and is a species of conservation concern. Shorebirds are an important group to increase sequencing availability and phylogenetic understanding of for their relevance and usefulness in understanding breeding system dynamics and migratory behavior.

This work adds a full annotated mitochondrial sequence and a de novo assembly of the genome for the Mountain plover. I also assess the phylogeny of Charadriiformes using full mitochondrial data versus CO1 and CytB gene regions, illustrating how region choice and methodology can affect tree topology.

If you want to attend via Zoom, please email Jacki Craig for the zoom link