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Soleille Miller

Soleille Miller

PhD Student
(she/her)
Evolution and Ecology Research Centre
Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences

I’m passionate about progressing the field of ecology and evolution through the study of genomics. I am originally from Minnesota and was lucky enough to pursue a PhD in Australia studying some of the most interesting critters in the world. Previously, I worked on animal behaviour, genetics, and epigenetics on the common snapping turtle. My current projects focus on the population genetics and evolutionary consequences of parthenogenesis in a native Australian stick insect species.

Project: The Rise of Asexuality: Investigations into the early stages of transitions to parthenogenesis.

Supervised by: Prof. Russell Bonduriansky and A/Prof. Lee Rollins

Project Description: Sex is theoretically more costly than parthenogenesis, yet sex is the predominant mode of reproduction in the animal kingdom. My research uses a native Australian stick insect species that can reproduce sexually and parthenogenetically to better understand the early consequences of transitions to parthenogenesis in a natural setting. Specifically, I investigate the population genetics of this species in the wild as well as quantifying the phenotypic and ecological differences between the two reproductive modes in nature.
Contact Details

soleille.miller@unsw.edu.au

https://bonduriansky.net/

**Miller, S.**, Wilner, D., Boldbataar, J., & Bonduriansky, R. (2024). Does ecology shape geographical parthenogenesis? Evidence from the facultatively parthenogenetic stick insect Megacrania batesii. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.02.587815

**Miller, S.**, Stuart, K. C., Burke, N. W., Rollins, L. A., & Bonduriansky, R. (2023). Genetic and phenotypic consequences of local transitions between sexual and parthenogenetic reproduction in the wild. The American Naturalist, 727511. https://doi.org/10.1086/727511

Ruhr, I., Bierstedt, J., Rhen, T., Das, D., Singh, S. K., **Miller, S.**, Crossley, D. A., & Galli, G. L. J. (2021). Developmental programming of DNA methylation and gene expression patterns is associated with extreme cardiovascular tolerance to anoxia in the common snapping turtle. Epigenetics & Chromatin, 14(1), 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13072-021-00414-7

**Miller, S.**, Derenne, A., Ellis-Felege, S., & Rhen, T. (2020). Incubation temperature and satiety influence general locomotor and exploratory behaviors in the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Physiology and Behavior, 220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112875