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Little CV


	Web Sites

	quantitative sequencing online key to Cupressaceae Barrington's Polystichum research gymnosperm database Adams' Juniperus research TNT (Tree analysis using New Technology) simple indel coding DNA-BAR (a DNA barcoding SIDE) BRONX (a DNA barcoding SIDE) Simple pairwise matching (a DNA barcoding SIDE) DOME ID (a DNA barcoding SIDE) ATIM (a DNA barcoding SIDE) BIOL 79303: phytoinformatics

Damon P. Little
Assistant Curator of Bioinformatics, The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies
Ph.D., Cornell University
Ithaca, NY USA (2005)
"Evolution and circumscription of the true cypresses (Cupressaceae: Cupressus and Callitropsis): a combined molecular and morphological approach"
Expertise: conifers, phylogenetic analysis, information technology

Profile

My research interests can be divided into three intertwining areas: (1) Organismal studies focused on the systematics and character evolution of gymnosperms; (2) the theory and practice of phylogenetic analysis; and (3) the application of information technology to morphological, anatomical, DNA barcoding, and molecular systematic studies (bioinformatics).

1. ORGANISMAL STUDIES. I am most interested in conducting research that integrates data from traditional (e.g., anatomical, developmental, morphological) and contemporary (e.g., DNA sequence, gene expression) sources to elucidate phylogenetic patterns, understand character evolution, and determine the extent of gene flow between populations. Currently, much of my research focuses on Cupressaceae--a family of conifers that includes redwoods (Metasequoia, Sequoia, and Sequoiadendron), arborvitae (Thuja), junipers (Juniperus), and cypress (Callitropsis and Cupressus). Members of the family are widely cultivated for their attractive foliage and pleasant "cedar" scent. Their wood is of some economic importance due to its durability and resistance to rot (used in pencils, cedar chests, siding, decks, roofing shingles, etc.).

2. PHYLOGENETIC THEORY. The theory and practice of phylogenetic analysis is of great interest to me--particularly the properties of various tree search strategies/methods and support measures. By testing the relative efficiency of several recently proposed methods (e.g., ratchet, tree fusion, Metropolis coupled Markov chain Monte Carlo, etc.) I hope to develop general recommendations for search strategy and devise ways to more efficiently conduct tree searches on multiple processors.

3. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY/BIOINFORMATICS. I have learned to program in BASH, C, C++, PERL, and SQL. To date, I have used this programing knowledge to undertake a performance evaluation of existing DNA barcoding algorithms as well as implement three novel barcoding procedures. In addition, I have produced a PERL script for automatically extracting peak area or height data from sequence chromatograms so that quantitative sequencing data can be more widely employed for the estimation of relative template frequency in pooled DNA samples.

Selected Publications

Tehler, A., D. P. Little, and J. S. Farris. 2003. The full-length phylogenetic tree from 1551 ribosomal sequences of chitinous fungi. Mycological Research 107 (8): 901-916.

Little, D. P. and D. S. Barrington. 2003. Major evolutionary events in the origin and diversification of the fern genus Polystichum (Dryopteridaceae). American Journal of Botany 90 (3): 508-514.

Little, D. P. 2004. Documentation of hybridization between Californian cypresses: Cupressus macnabiana Ã— sargentii. Systematic Botany 29 (4): 825-833.

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