Research Interests

Ecological genetics of microorganisms and insects, population genetics and evolution, molecular evolution.

Education

• Ph.D., University of Arizona (1967-1971)
• Goethe Institute (1965)
• B.S., University of Arizona (1962-1964, 1966-1967)

Courses Taught

• BIO 345: Population Biology
• BIO 431/631: Theoretical Population Genetics
• BIO 454: Evolution

Selected Publications

Full Publication List

• Yokoyama, S., W.T. Starmer, Y. Liu, T Tada, L. Britt. 2014. Extraordinarily low evolutionary rates of short wavelength-sensitive opsin pseudogenes. Gene 534:93-99.
• Manier, M.K., S.Lüpold, S.Pitnick, W.T. Starmer. 2013. An analytical framework for estimating fertilization bias from multiple sperm-storage organs during sperm competition. The American Naturalist 182:552-561.
• Lachance, M.A., A.M. Perri, A.S. Farahbakhsh, W.T. Starmer. 2013. Genetic structure of Kurtzmaniella cleridarum, a cactus flower beetle yeast of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts: speciation by distance? FEMS Yeast Research.
• Manier, M.K., S. Lüpold, J.M. Belote, W.T. Starmer, K.S. Berben, O. Ala-Honkola, W.F. Collins, S.Pitnick. 2013. Postcopulatory sexual selection generates speciation phenotypes in Drosophila. Current Biology 23:1853-1862.
• Starmer, W.T. and M.A. Lachance. 2011. Yeast ecology. In: (Kurtzman, C.P., J. Fell and T. Boekhout, eds.) The Yeasts: A Taxonomic Study, 5th ed. Elsevier.
• Slepecky, R. and W.T. Starmer. 2009. Phenotypic plasticity in fungi: A review with observations on Aureobasidium pullulans. Mycologia 101:823-832.
• Yokoyama, S., H. Yang and W.T. Starmer. 2008. Molecular basis of spectral tuning in the red- and green-sensitive (M/LWS) pigments in vertebrates. Genetics 179:2037-2043.
• Polak, M., L.T. Luong and W.T. Starmer. 2007. Parasites physically block host copulation: A potent mechanism of parasite-mediated sexual selection. Behavioral Ecology 18:952-957.
• Domingue, M.J., W.T. Starmer and S.A. Teale. 2006. Genetic control of the enantiomeric composition of ipsdienol in the pine engraver, Ips pini. Journal of Chemical Ecology 32:1005-1026.
• Pattarini, J.M., W.T. Starmer, A. Bjork and S. Pitnick. 2006. Mechanisms underlying the sperm quality advantage in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 60:2064-2080.
• Anderson, M., M.A. Lachance and W.T. Starmer. 2004. The relationship of phylogeny to community structure: the cactus yeast community. Am. Nat. 164:709-721.