We are a research group at Auburn University that studies how animal populations respond to stressors in their environment.
Along with the PI (Tonia), the team includes postdocs, PhD and MS graduate students, undergraduate researchers, and occasionally a high school student or teacher. We collaborating with multiple labs within and outside Auburn University.
Click below to learn more about the team.
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Our research projects focus on animal populations including reptiles, birds, and even Daphnia! Most projects include some combination of field work studying the animals in their natural environments, "wet lab" work on DNA, RNA or cells in our molecular lab, and "dry lab" work on the computer (or remote super computers) studying "big" genomic data. All the projects revolve around understanding how differences in the genomic sequence, and its response to the environment, can affect how an animal functions in its natural environment.
Our research findings are used to inform both human health and conservation. We strive for integrity, transparency and open science as we disseminate our findings.
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At the link below you can access the results of our research project in the form of scientific publications, new and media reports, access to the data we produce and the protocols and code we used to produce it.
Lab News!
Our Mission
The mission of the Schwartz Lab is to discover new knowledge of how environmental stressors regulate life history traits such as reproduction and longevity in natural animal populations, bridging the gap between evolutionary biology and biomedical research. Our research findings are used to inform both human health and animal conservation. We strive for integrity, transparency and open science as we disseminate our findings for the betterment of human society and our natural world.
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We conduct experimental and observational studies utilizing physiological and functional and population genomic data to address questions on (1) how molecular stress response networks evolve and drive life history traits; and (2) how individuals respond to stress at the genetic, physiological, and organismal levels, and the consequential effects on life history traits and trade-offs.
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Our research findings are used to inform both human health and conservation. We strive for integrity, transparency and open science as we disseminate our findings for the betterment of human society and our natural world
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