Dr Tammy Steeves
Position
Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics
Qualifications
PhD (Queen's University, Canada)
MSc (American University, USA)
BSc (University of Calgary, Canada)
Room
von Haast Room 441
Contact Details
Phone: +64 3 364 2987 ext 7074
Fax: +64 3 364 2590
Email: tammy.steeves@canterbury.ac.nz
Postal Address: School of Biological Sciences, University
of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
Research
My main research interests focus on the evolutionary processes that contribute to the divergence of populations and the ultimate formation of new species. I am specifically interested in the roles of physical and non-physical barriers to gene flow in the diversification of highly mobile taxa such as shorebirds and seabirds. The novelty of my research stems from my use of state of the art genetic approaches combined with non-genetic data to test explicit hypotheses regarding the evolutionary histories of natural populations.
Publications
Morris-Pocock, J.A, T.E. Steeves, F.A. Estela, D.J. Anderson & V.L. Friesen. (2009) Comparative phylogeography of brown (Sula leucogaster) and red-footed boobies (S. sula): the influence of physical barriers and habitat preference on gene flow in pelagic seabirds. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.11.013
Steeves T.E., R.N. Holdaway, M.L. Hale, E. McLay, I.A.W. McAllan, M. Christian, M.E. Hauber, M. Bunce. 2009. Merging ancient and modern DNA: extinct seabird taxon rediscovered in the North Tasman Sea. Biology Letters. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0478.
Steeves, T.E., M.L. Hale & N.J. Gemmell. 2008. Development of polymorphic microsatellite markers for the New Zealand black stilt (Himantopus novaezelandiae) and cross-amplification in the pied stilt (Himantopus himantopus leucocephalus). Molecular Ecology Resources 8:1105-1107.
Robertson, B.C., T.E. Steeves, K.P. McBride, S.J. Goldstien, M.J. Williams & N.J. Gemmell. 2007. Phylogeography of the New Zealand blue duck: implications for translocation and species recovery. Conservation Genetics 8:1431-1440.
Steeves, T.E., D.J. Anderson and V.L. Friesen. 2005b. A role for nonphysical barriers to gene flow in the diversification of a highly vagile seabird, the masked booby (Sula dactylatra). Molecular Ecology. 14:3877-3887.
Steeves, T.E., D.J. Anderson and V.L. Friesen. 2005a. The Isthmus of Panama: a major physical barrier to gene flow in a highly mobile pantropical seabird. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 18:1000-1008.
Steeves, T.E., D.J. Anderson, H. McNally, M.H. Kim and V.L. Friesen. 2003. Phylogeography of Sula: the role of physical barriers to gene flow in the diversification of tropical seabirds. Journal of Avian Biology 34: 217-223.
Friesen, V.L., D.J. Anderson, T.E. Steeves, H. Jones & E.A. Schreiber. 2002. Molecular support for species status of the Nazca booby. Auk 119: 820-826.
Steeves, T.E., J.D. Darling, C.M. Schaeff, P.E. Rosel and R.C. Fleischer. 2001. Preliminary analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation in a southern feeding group of eastern North Pacific gray whales. Conservation Genetics 2: 379-384.
Darling, J.D., K.E. Keogh and T.E. Steeves. 1998. Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) habitat utilization and prey species off Vancouver Island, B.C. Marine Mammal Science 14: 692-720.