We are a reproductive physiology lab with an interest in
​how reproductive traits evolve, diversify, and adapt.

The Wilsterman Lab is particularly interested in the physiology that constrains reproductive output and the mechanisms that are responsible for variation in reproductive traits among and within species. We ask questions about two different types of variation in reproduction:

1. What systems underlay stable variation in reproductive function (including adaptive variation in reproductive function)?
2. Which cues and physiological systems does mom use to control her investment across a reproductive cycle (i.e., individual variation in investment)?

We combine neuroendocrinology, cell biology, evolutionary physiology, and functional genomics approach for both in vivo and in vitro systems to identify mechanisms underlying ecologically-relevant phenotypic variation. 

In addition to thinking about origins of biological diversity and evolutionary processes, we are interested in using these perspectives to understand human health and disease. Current work in the lab is using these approaches to understand the origins of fetal growth restriction in high elevation communities and to identify solutions to these universal challanges.