M. Higgie

Variation in the strength of selection but no trait divergence between elevational extremes in a tropical rainforest Drosophila

The paper estimates selection and heritability on traits across elevational gradients in Drosophila birchii and finds no trait divergence between elevational extremes despite varying selection pressures.

Microbiome structure of a wild Drosophila community along tropical elevational gradients and comparison to laboratory lines

This study examines microbiome variation in wild and lab-reared Drosophila across elevational gradients, finding that field-collected flies have more diverse microbiomes and elevation explains some variation in microbial communities.

The predictive potential of key adaptation parameters and proxy fitness traits between benign and stressful thermal environments

The paper examines how genetic and phenotypic variances and covariances of fitness and morphological traits change between thermal environments in Drosophila species, finding inconsistent patterns that caution against generalizing adaptation potential across environments.

Fitness effects of competition within and between species change across species' ranges, and reveal limited local adaptation in rainforest Drosophila

This study shows that competition effects vary across species' ranges, with interspecific competition stronger at range edges and intraspecific competition more impactful at range centers, revealing limited local adaptation in rainforest Drosophila.

Molecular analyses reveal consistent food web structure with elevation in rainforest Drosophila - parasitoid communities

The paper builds Drosophila-parasitoid food webs across elevation gradients and finds no significant changes in network structure metrics despite environmental variation.

Testing for local adaptation and evolutionary potential along altitudinal gradients in rainforest Drosophila: beyond laboratory estimates.

This study tests assumptions of Species Distribution Models by examining altitudinal gradients in Drosophila birchii, finding that ecological limits are driven by biotic interactions and that local adaptation is not evident.