Oklahoma State University	Department of Zoology

Ronald A. Van Den Bussche Associate Dean for Research Professor & Curator of Frozen Tissues Ph.D., 1989 Texas Tech University Email: ron.van_den_bussche@okstate.edu Phone: 405-744-5663 Lab Page

(Molecular Systematics, Conservation Genetics, MHC evolution)

Specific Interests

Research in my laboratory focuses on three main topics: 1) Molecular Systematics; 2) integration of molecular techniques in conservation biology and wildlife management; and 3) evolution of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC). Although my laboratory works on all taxa, my primary systematic interests concern the evolutionary relationships of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) with emphasis on the relationships among microchiropteran families and relationships with Vespertilionidae. Concerning my interests in conservation and wildlife management, research in my laboratory has focused on questions relating to endangered or threatened species such as wolverines, Utah prairie dogs, and Ozark big-eared bats. Finally, my laboratory has examined levels of MHC within and among populations of white-tailed deer and cotton rats.

Selected Publications

• Davis, S. K., A. A. Echelle, and R. A. Van Den Bussche. 2006. Lack of cytonuclear genetic introgression despite long-term hybridization and backcrossing between two poeciliid fishes (Gambusia heterochir and G. affinis). Copeia, 2006:351 – 359.
• Echelle, A. A., L. Fuselier, R. A. Van Den Bussche, C. M. L. Rodriquez, and M. L. Smith. 2006. Molecular systematics of Hispaniolan pupfishes (Cyprinodontidae: Cyprinodon): Implications for the biogeography of insular Caribbean fishes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 39:855 – 864.
• Hoofer, S. R., R. A. Van Den Busssche, and I. Horacek. 2006. Generic status of the American pipistrelles (Vespertilionidae) with description of a new genus. Journal of Mammalogy, 87:981 – 992.
• Husak, J., S. Fox, M. B. Lovern, and R. A. Van Den Bussche. 2006. Faster lizards sire more offspring: Sexual selection on whole-animal performance. Evolution, 60:2122 – 2130.
• Whittier, J. B., D. M. Leslie, Jr., and R. A. Van Den Bussche. 2006. Genetic variation among subspecies of Least Tern (Sterna antillarum): Implications for Conservation. Waterbirds, 29:176 – 184.
• Reichard, M. V., R. A. Van Den Bussche, J. H. Meinkoth, J. P. Hoover, and A. A. Kocan. 2005. A new species of Cytauxzoon from Pallas’s Cats Caught in Mongolia and Comments on the Systematics and Taxonomy of Piroplasmids. Journal of Parasitology, 91:420 – 426.
• Weyandt, S. E., R. A. Van Den Bussche, M. J. Hamilton, and D. M. Leslie, Jr. 2005. Unraveling the effects of sex and dispersal: Conservation genetics of the endangered Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens). Journal of Mammalogy, 86:1136 – 1143.
• Wilson, G. M., R. A. Van Den Bussche, K. McBee, L. A. Johnson, and C. A. Jones. 2005. Intraspecific phylogeography of red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in the Central Rocky Mountain region of North America. Genetica, 125:141 – 151.