Michael Barfield

Personal Site

Assistant Scientist
Ph.D. University of
Kansas, 1989

111 Bartram
Box 118525
Gainesville, FL 32611-8525
Voice: (352) 392-6914
Fax: (352)392-3704
mjb01@ufl.edu

Research Interests

My main research area is theoretical population biology. We are especially interested in the effects of temporal variation on adaptation, population size and species coexistence, in systems that have spatial heterogeneity (for example, source-sink systems). We are also currently working on evolution in stage-structured populations, the ecology of infectious disease, and evolution in systems of bacteria and phage.

Representative Publications

Holt, R. D. and M. Barfield (2006). Within-host pathogen dynamics: Some ecological and evolutionary consequences of transients, dispersal mode, and within-host spatial heterogeneity. In Z. Feng, U. Dieckmann and S. Levin (eds.) Disease Evolution: Models, Concepts, and Data Analyses. American Mathematical Society.

Holt, R. D., M. Barfield, and R. Gomulkiewicz (2005). Theories of niche conservatism and evolution: Could exotic species be potential tests? In D. F. Sax, S. D. Gaines and J. J. Stachowicz (eds.) Species Invasions: Insights to ecology, evolution and biogeography. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.

Roy M., R. D. Holt, and M. Barfield (2005). Temporal autocorrelation can enhance the persistence and abundance of metapopulations comprised of coupled sinks. American Naturalist 166: 246-261.

Orive, M. E., M. N. Stearns, J. K. Kelly, M. Barfield, M. S. Smith and R. D. Holt (2005). Viral infection in internally-structured hosts. I.Conditions for persistent infection. Journal of Theoretical Biology 232: 453-466.

Holt, R. D., M. Barfield and R. Gomulkiewicz (2004). Temporal variation can facilitate niche evolution in harsh sink environments. American Naturalist 164:187-200.

Holt, R. D., T. Knight and M. Barfield (2004). Allee effects, immigration, and the evolution of species’ niches. American Naturalist 163:253-262.

Holt, R. D., M. Barfield and A. Gonzalez (2003). Impacts of environmental variability in open populations and communities: “Inflation” in sink environments. Theoretical Population Biology 64: 315-330.

Holt, R. D., R. Gomulkiewicz and M. Barfield (2003). The phenomenology of niche evolution via quantitative traits in a ‘black-hole’ sink. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 270: 215-224.

Holt, R. D. and M. Barfield (2003). Impacts of temporal variation on apparent competition and coexistence in open ecosystems. Oikos 101: 49-58.