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'{{short description|American evolutionary geneticist, conservationist, ecologist & natural historian (born 1948)}} {{Infobox scientist |name = John Charles Avise |image = John Avise.jpg |birth_date = {{birth year and age|1948}} |birth_place = [[Grand Rapids]], [[Michigan]], USA |death_date = |death_place = |residence = |citizenship = [[Americans|American]] |nationality = |ethnicity = |fields = [[Genetics]], [[Evolutionary Biology]], [[Phylogeography]] |workplaces = [[University of California, Irvine]] |alma_mater = [[University of Michigan]] |doctoral_advisor = |academic_advisors = |doctoral_students = |notable_students = |known_for = Phylogeography, Conservation Genetics, Evolutionary Genetics, Ecological Genetics |influences = |influenced = |awards = |religion = }} '''John Charles Avise''' (born 1948) is an American evolutionary geneticist, conservationist, ecologist and natural historian. He is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Ecology & Evolution, [[University of California, Irvine]], and was previously a Distinguished Professor of Genetics at the [[University of Georgia]]. Born in [[Grand Rapids]], [[Michigan]], he received his B.S. in 1970 in Natural Resources from the [[University of Michigan]]; his M.A.in 1971 in Zoology from the [[University of Texas at Austin]]; and his Ph.D. in 1975 in Genetics from the [[University of California, Davis]]. Avise's research entails the use of molecular markers to analyze ecological, behavioral, and evolutionary processes in nature.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2009.06.035|issn=0960-9822|volume=19|issue=16|pages=R673–R674|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=John C. Avise|journal=Current Biology|date=2009-08-25|pmid=19711500|s2cid=11336795|doi-access=free}}</ref> It covers a broad spectrum of topics: genetic parentage, reproductive modes, population structure, speciation, hybridization, introgression, phylogeography, systematics, and phylogenetics. He has conducted research on diverse animal taxa ranging from corals and sponges to representatives of all the major vertebrate groups. The typical goal of his laboratory is to unveil ecological or evolutionary features of the organisms, but he and his students also try to elucidate genetic and evolutionary properties of various protein and DNA molecules. The theory and practice of evolutionary genetics are relevant to behavioral ecology and conservation biology, which provide underlying themes for much of his research. Avise views himself as a naturalist at heart, a geneticist by training, and his career has been devoted to wedding these two areas. His education came at a time when molecular methods were being introduced to population biology, and he was among earliest to appreciate that molecular markers could open the entire biological world for genetic scrutiny. ==Research and scientific contributions== In 1972, Avise published the first multi-locus allozyme analysis in any fish species, and uncovered the profound effects of inbreeding and genetic drift in nature. During the 1970s and 1980s, his protein-electrophoretic work on many fishes, mammals, birds, and other creatures demonstrated that natural populations are genetically highly polymorphic and that molecular markers can be utilized to address many natural-history topics that previously had been analyzed solely from phenotypic data. He thereby helped to pioneer the fields of molecular ecology and [[molecular evolution]]. In 1994, he published ''Molecular Markers, Natural History and Evolution'', a comprehensive textbook on the application of genetic markers in ecological, behavioral, and evolutionary contexts. In the late 1970s, he was among the first to introduce mitochondrial (mt) DNA to population biology. This seminal work laid the foundation for [[phylogeography]],<ref>{{cite journal |author=Avise, J. C., J. Arnold, R. M. Ball, Jr., E. Bermingham, T. Lamb, J. E. Neigel, C. A. Reed, and N. C. Saunders |year=1987 |title=Intraspecific phylogeography: the mitochondrial DNA bridge between population genetics and systematics |journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics |volume=18 |pages=489–522 |doi=10.1146/annurev.es.18.110187.002421|s2cid=26363881 }}</ref> a field for which he is recognized as the founding father. Among the many phylogeographic applications for which his laboratory paved the way were genetic assessments of marine and freshwater turtles, catadromous eels, unisexual fishes, and regional assemblages of birds, fishes, mammals, herps, and marine invertebrates. In the 1990s, Avise capitalized upon highly polymorphic microsatellite loci to analyze animal mating systems in nature, on creatures ranging from sea spiders and snails to polyembryonic armadillos to numerous fishes, including male-pregnant pipefishes and seahorses, and hermaphroditic killifishes. This line of inquiry eventuated in many articles plus a trilogy of authored books dealing with evolutionary perspectives on clonality (2008), hermaphroditism (2011), and pregnancy (2013). In addition to research in molecular ecology and evolution, Avise has published on the relevance of evolutionary genetics to human affairs ranging from religious beliefs, to the human genome, to genetically modified organisms, to the history and philosophy of science, and even to the roles of humor and poetry in communicating science to the public. In 2006, Avise helped to inaugurate a series of annual Colloquia, sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, broadly entitled "In the Light of Evolution" (ILE). Each ILE installment highlighted a different topic that can be informed by evolutionary thought and has broader societal relevance. Proceedings of ten ILE colloquia were published in special issues of PNAS, and eight of them also appeared as edited books from the National Academies Press. During his career, Avise was the Major Advisor for 26 PhD or M.S. students and 11 postdocs. Nearly all of these trainees went on to assume faculty positions or similar professions around the world, thereby seeding many institutions with researchers in the fields of molecular ecology, natural history, phylogeography, and evolution. The following are some of the numerous universities where Avise's graduate students or postdoctoral trainees have held or currently hold faculty positions: Colorado State University; University of Arkansas; Purdue University (two faculty members); University of Louisiana at Lafayette; East Carolina University; University of South Florida; University of Hawaii; Cornell University (two faculty members); George Washington University; Texas A&M University; University of Idaho; Georgia Tech University; State University of New York at Binghamton; HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Alabama; Oregon State University; South Carolina Department of Natural Resources; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama; U.S. Geological Service in Alaska; University of Florida; Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology (two faculty members); University of Maryland; Michigan State University; National Institutes of Health; University of California at Santa Cruz; Duquesne University (two faculty members); Oxford University in England; University College of London; University of British Columbia; Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University; Queens University in Northern Ireland; Frost Museum of Science in Miami; Ocean University in the Peoples Republic of China; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; University of Nebraska; and James Cook University in Australia. At most of these institutions, a new generation of graduate students and postdocs advised by his trainees has given Avise a large number of "academic grandchildren", thereby helping to expand his intellectual legacy. Avise has published more than 360 peer-reviewed scientific papers, plus more than 30 books (17 of which were solo-authored). Some of the books are textbooks intended for professionals and their students, while many of the other books provide educational outreach about natural history, biology, and evolution for a much broader audience. His works have been cited more than 75,000 times and he holds an h-index of 119. Avise has served on the editorial boards for 15 scientific journals, and for several years was a member of the Board of Biology of the National Research Council. He has also traveled and lectured widely, having delivered invited lectures in all 50 U.S. states, and 38 countries. In 2020, Avise retired from the University of California Irvine so his status is now Professor Emeritus at that institution. In 2021, Avise donated all of his writings (including 32 authored or edited books plus 365 journal articles) to the Library of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, PA. ==Honors and distinctions== *1985: Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science *1986: Creative Research Medal, University of Georgia *1987: Vice-President, Society for the Study of Evolution *1988: Lamar Dodd Award, University of Georgia *1991: Member, National Academy of Sciences USA *1992: Sloan Foundation Fellow in Molecular Evolution *1994: Earle R. Greene Award, Georgia Ornithological Society *1994: President, Society for the Study of Evolution *1994: Fellow, American Ornithologists' Union *1994: Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences<ref name=AAAS>{{cite web|title=Book of Members, 1780-2010: Chapter A|url=http://www.amacad.org/publications/BookofMembers/ChapterA.pdf|publisher=American Academy of Arts and Sciences|accessdate=28 April 2011}}</ref> *1997: William Brewster Memorial Award, American Ornithologists' Union *1997: Wilhelmine E. Key Award, American Genetic Association *1998: Pew Fellow in Marine Conservation *2000: President, American Genetic Association *2004: President, Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution *2006: Molecular Ecology Prize, Molecular Ecology Journal *2007: Alfred Russel Wallace Award, International Biogeography Society *2008: National Associate Award, National Research Council *2010: Distinguished Faculty Award for Research, University of California at Irvine *2011: Member, American Philosophical Society<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=&title=&subject=2.+Biological+Sciences&subdiv=&mem=&year=&year-max=&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|title=APS Member History|website=search.amphilsoc.org|access-date=2019-04-07}}</ref> *2014: Genetics Hall of Excellence, American Fisheries Society *2018: Fellow, California Academy of Sciences ==Publications== *[http://faculty.sites.uci.edu/johncavise/publications/ John Avise Publications (University Website)] Some of his 32 Books: *Avise, John C. (2018). ''From Aardvarks to Zooxanthellae: The Definitive Lyrical Guide to Nature's Ways''. Springer {{ISBN|978-3-319-71624-4}} * Avise, John C. (2016). ''Sketches of Nature: A Geneticist's Look at the Biological World During a Golden Era for Molecular Ecology''. Academic Press. {{ISBN|978-0-128-01945-0}} * Avise, John C. and Ayala, Francisco J. (2014). ''Essential Readings in Evolutionary Biology''. Johns Hopkins University Press. {{ISBN|978-1-421-41305-1}} * Avise, John C. (2014). ''Conceptual Breakthroughs in Evolutionary Genetics: A Brief History of Shifting Paradigms''. Academic Press. {{ISBN|978-0--12420-166-8}} * Avise, John C. (2013). ''Evolutionary Perspectives on Pregnancy''. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-23116-060-5}} * Avise, John C. (2011). ''Hermaphroditism: A Primer on the Biology, Ecology, and Evolution of Dual Sexuality''. Columbia University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-23115-386-7}}. * Avise, John C. (2010). ''Inside the Human Genome: A Case for Non-Intelligent Design''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-539343-0}}. * Avise, John C. (2010). ''Molecular Ecology and Evolution: The Organismal Side''. World Scientific. {{ISBN|978-981-4317-75-7}}. *{{Cite book|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-195-36967-0|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Clonality: The Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution of Sexual Abstinence in Vertebrate Animals|date=2008}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=978-0-801-88689-8|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=On Evolution|date=2007}} *{{Cite book|publisher=BainBridgeBooks|isbn=954-642-292-4|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=A Field Guide To Little Known Genetically Engineered Organisms|date=2007}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-67417-1|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Evolutionary Pathways in Nature: A Phylogenetic Approach|date=2006}} *{{Cite book|edition=2nd Revised|publisher=Sinauer Associates|isbn=978-0-87893-041-8|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Molecular Markers, Natural History and Evolution|date=2004}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-516950-6|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=The Hope, Hype, and Reality of Genetic Engineering|date=2004}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Smithsonian Books|isbn=978-1-58834-069-6|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Genetics in the Wild|date=2002|url=https://archive.org/details/geneticsinwild00avis}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Smithsonian Books|isbn=978-1-56098-957-8|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Captivating Life: A Naturalist in the Age of Genetics|date=2001|url=https://archive.org/details/captivatinglifen00avis}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-66638-2|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Phylogeography: The History and Formation of Species|date=2000}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-00533-4|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=The Genetic Gods: Evolution and Belief in Human Affairs|date=1998}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Chapman & Hall |isbn=978-0-412-05581-2|last1=Avise | first1=John C|first2=James L | last2=Hamrick|title=Conservation Genetics: Case Histories from Nature|date=1996}} *{{Cite book|publisher=Chapman & Hall |isbn=0-412-03771-8|last=Avise|first=John C.|title=Molecular Markers, Natural History and Evolution (1st ed.)|date=1994}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * {{wikiquote-inline}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Avise, John}} [[Category:1948 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:21st-century American biologists]] [[Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences]] [[Category:Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences]] [[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]] [[Category:Sloan Research Fellows]] [[Category:University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment alumni]] [[Category:University of California, Davis alumni]] [[Category:University of California, Irvine faculty]] [[Category:University of Georgia faculty]] [[Category:Writers from Grand Rapids, Michigan]]'