biology

Mark D. Rausher

Mark D. Rausher is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mark D. Rausher rather than just read about it. In short: Mark D. Rausher is an American evolutionary biologist known for his research on plant–herbivore interactions, coevolution, and the evolutionary genetics of floral traits.

Key takeaways

Mark D. Rausher belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mark D. Rausher to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mark D. Rausher from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mark D. Rausher is an American evolutionary biologist known for his research on plant–herbivore interactions, coevolution, and the evolutionary genetics of floral traits. He is the John C. Kilgo Distinguished Professor of Biology at Duke University, where he has served on the faculty since 1978. Rausher is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of the Sewall Wright Award.

Early life and education Rausher was born in Gary, Indiana. He earned a B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1973 and a Ph.D. in 1978 from Cornell University, where he conducted research in ecology and evolutionary biology.

Career Rausher joined the faculty of Duke University in 1978 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1983 and to full Professor in 1991. From 1995 to 2000, he served as the Chair of the Department of Zoology. In 2013, he was appointed the John C. Kilgo Distinguished Professor of Biology. Rausher served as the Editor-in-Chief of The American Naturalist from 1990 to 1995 and as Editor-in-Chief of Evolution from 2006 to 2010. He also served as Evolution Section Head Editor for New Phytologist and served on the editorial boards of Ecology, Ecological Monographs, and Biology Letters. Rausher served as President Elect, President, and Past President of the Society for the Study of Evolution from 2018 to 2020.

Research Rausher studies evolutionary biology at both the phenotypic and genetic levels, with a focus on the genetic basis of adaptation and the evolutionary diversification of metabolic pathways. His work examines the molecular genetic basis of phenotypes as well as patterns of natural selection acting on those phenotypes under natural conditions, particularly for ecologically relevant traits. A major theme of his research is the coevolution of plant defenses and their natural enemies, including herbivores and pathogens, as well as interactions with pollinators, with particular emphasis on members of the morning glory family. His work has produced quantitative evidence of natural adaptation in plant populations and has tested long-standing hypotheses concerning the costs of resistance in plants, diffuse coevolution, and adaptive constraints. More recent research has explored the genetic changes underlying the evolution of floral color patterning in the genus Clarkia, demonstrating that ancient gene duplications, rather than polyploidization, have facilitated diversification of petal pigmentation patterns. In collaboration with former graduate student Robin Hopkins, Rausher provided the first empirical example of reinforcing selection acting on a gene responsible for reproductive isolation, based on studies of flower color divergence in two species of Phlox. Together with former graduate student David L. Des Marais, he also clarified the distinction between neofunctionalization and escape from adaptive conflict through an investigation of gene duplication and divergence in the anthocyanin pigment pathway of the common morning glory (Ipomoea purpurea).

Selected honors and awards 1979: Cole Award, Cornell University 2016: Sewall Wright Award, American Society of Naturalists 2019: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Selected publications Rausher, M. D. (1978). "Search image for leaf shape in a butterfly". Science. 200: 1071–1073. Rausher, M. D. (1992). "The measurement of selection on quantitative traits: biases due to environmental covariances between traits and fitness". Evolution. 46: 616–626. Fineblum, W. L.; Rausher, M. D. (1995). "Tradeoff between resistance and tolerance to herbivore damage in a morning glory". Nature. 377: 517–520. Rausher, M. D. (2001). "Coevolution and plant resistance to natural enemies". Nature. 411: 857–864. Des Marais, D. L.; Rausher, M. D. (2008). "Escape from adaptive conflict after duplication in an anthocyanin pathway gene". Nature. 454: 762–765. Hopkins, R.; Rausher, M. D. (2011). "Identification of two genes causing reinforcement in the Texas wildflower Phlox drummondii". Nature. 469: 411–415. Hopkins, R.; Rausher, M. D. (2012). "Pollinator-mediated selection on flower color allele drives reinforcement". Science. 335: 1090–1092. Ostevik, K. L.; Rifkin, J. L.; Xia, H.; Rausher, M. D. (2021). "Morning glory species co-occurrence is associated with asymmetrically decreased and cascading reproductive isolation". Evolution Letters. 5: 75–85.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mark D. Rausher

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mark D. Rausher claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mark D. Rausher before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mark D. Rausher ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mark D. Rausher

In research: Mark D. Rausher appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mark D. Rausher in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mark D. Rausher is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American biologists, American evolutionary biologists, Cornell University alumni, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mark D. Rausher outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Mark D. Rausher” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Mark D. Rausher in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mark D. Rausher means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mark D. Rausher out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mark D. Rausher in simple terms?

Mark D. Rausher is an American evolutionary biologist known for his research on plant–herbivore interactions, coevolution, and the evolutionary genetics of floral traits.

Why does Mark D. Rausher matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mark D. Rausher?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mark D. Rausher.