Professor, Population Genetics
Ph.D., Genetics, 1983, University of California, Davis;
B.S., Biology of Natural Resources, 1979, University of California, Berkeley
Contact Information
126 Natural Resources Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Phone: (517) 355-9597
Fax: (517) 432-1143
Email: epperson@msu.edu
Courses Taught
Population Genetics, Genealogy, and Genomics (FOR 842)
Research Interests
Population genetics, evolutionary biology, and ecological genetic basis of traits in the structure and function of natural populations; spatial and space-time models and statistics.
Current Projects
- Spatial statistics applied to genetic variation
- Distribution of genetic variation in association with glacial refugia in Pinus resinosa
- Truly spatial-temporal analysis and statistical computing using STARMA and our computer program IEAST-and applications to ecological and genetic data
- Applications of STARMA and IEAST to surveillance and early characterization of emerging infectious disease epidemics
- Spatial-temporal analysis of the spread of West Nile virus in urban areas (funded by NSF)
- Using AFLP markers to trace traditional trade routes for subsistence tuber crop plants in the Andes (funded by NSF)
- Mating system and genetic structure in Pinus strobus (funded by USFS)
Epperson, B. K. 2007. Plant dispersal, neighborhood size and isolation by distance. Molecular Ecology (advance online) doi: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03434.x
Luna, R. B.K. Epperson, and K. Oyama. 2007. High levels of population genetic variability and inbreeding in two Neotropical dioecious palms with contrasting life histories. Molecular Ecology (in press).
Marquardt, P. E., C. S. Echt, B. K. Epperson, and D. M. Pubanz. 2007. Genetic structure, diversity, and inbreeding of eastern white pine under different management conditions. Canadian Journal of Forest Research (in press).
Blanchong, J. A., K. T. Scribner, B. K. Epperson, and S. R. Winterstein. 2006. Changes in artificial feeding regulations impact white-tailed deer fine-scale genetic structure. Journal of Wildlife Management 70:1037-1043.
Epperson, B. K. 2005. Estimating dispersal from short distance spatial autocorrelation. Heredity 95:7-15.
Epperson, B. K. 2005. Mutation at high rates reduces spatial structure within populations. Molecular Ecology 14:703-710.
Marquardt, P.E., and B. K. Epperson. 2004. Spatial and population genetic structure of microsatellites in white pine. Molecular Ecology 13:3305-3315.
Walter, R., and B. K. Epperson. 2004. Geographic pattern of genetic diversity in Pinus resinosa: contact zone between descendants of glacial refugia. American Journal of Botany 92:92-100.
Epperson, B. K. 2003. Geographical Genetics. Monographs in Population Biology 38. Princeton University Press. 356 pages.
Chung, M. Y., B. K. Epperson, and M. G. Chung. 2003. Genetic structure of age classes in Camellia japonica (Theaceae). Evolution 57:62-73.
Epperson, B. K. 2000. Spatial and space-time correlations in ecological models. Ecological Modelling 132:63-76.