Dr. Guillermo Ortí, PhD

George Washington University

Taxonomic Focus: Fishes

Address: 2023 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Phone: 1 (202) 994-7065
E-mail: gorti@gwu.edu

Research:

In my research I use molecular genetic markers to investigate the evolutionary history of organisms, populations and higher taxa. My lab studies a diversity of biological systems and topics, conceptually unified by a phylogenetic perspective based on gene genealogies. From macro- to microevolutionary issues, my research includes the study of adaptive radiations, biogeographic distributions, coevolution, geographic population structure (phylogeography), mating patterns, and the evolution and transmission of viral populations.

Related Publications:

Bessert, M. and G. Ortí. 2003. Microsatelite markers for the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) Molecular Ecology Notes 3:532-534.

Brant, S. and G. Ortí. 2003. Evidence for gene flow in parasitic nematodes between two host species of shrews Molecular Ecology 12:2853-2859.

Brant, S. and G. Ortí. 2003. Phylogeography of the Northern short-tailed shrew, Blarina brevicauda (Insectivora: Soricidae): past fragmentation and postglacial recolonization. Molecular Ecology 12:1435-1449.

Sivasundar, A., E. Bermingham, and G. Ortí. 2001. Population structure and biogeography of migratory freshwater fishes (Prochilodus: Characiformes) in major South American rivers. Molecular Ecology 10(2):407-418.

Walker, D., G. Ortí, and J. C. Avise. 1998. Phylogenetic distinctiveness of a threatened aquatic turtle (Sternotherus depressus). Conservation Biology 12:639-645

Ortí, G., D. E. Pearse, and J. C. Avise. 1997. Phylogenetic assessment of length variation at a microsatellite locus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:10745-10749.

Ortí, G, M. P. Hare, and J. C. Avise. 1997. Detection and isolation of nuclear haplotypes by PCR-SSCP. Molecular Ecology 6:575-580.

Ortí, G., M. A. Bell, T. E. Reimchen, and A. Meyer. 1994. Global survey of mitochondrial DNA sequences in the threespine stickleback: Evidence for recent migrations. Evolution 48 (3):608-622.

Academic Background:

BS (’81) in Biology, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina)
PhD (’95), Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook (New York, USA)
Postdoc (’95–’97), Department of Genetics, University of Georgia (Athens, USA)
Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (’03–’09)
Associate Professor, Molecular systematics and Phylogeography, George Washington University (’09-present)

Biography:

I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I traveled to Patagonia frequently when I was a child since my relatives owned land on the lake Epuyén area (Chubut Province), and later I had summer jobs in Puerto Madryn, as a scuba diver instructor. I studied biology at the University in Buenos Aires and worked as a laboratory and field technician, at the National Freshwater Fisheries Research Center (Direccion Nacional de Pesca Continental), later INIDeP (Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones y Desarrollo Pesquero). I participated in extensive fisheries surveys along the Lower Uruguay river and Rio de la Plata, where I became interested in migratory fish such as the sábalo (Prochilodus lineatus). In 1988 I migrated to the USA to obtain a PhD in Ecology and Evolution (at Stony Brook University, New York). After a two-year and very enjoyable postdoctoral experience in the Avise lab (University of Georgia) I took on my current job at the University of Nebraska.

Website:

Personal: http://www.gwu.edu/~biology/faculty/orti.cfm
Lab: http://golab.unl.edu
Organization: http://deepfin.org