• Organismal and Molecular Evolution
• Phylogentics Invasion Biology
• Invasive Species
• Conservation of Biodiversity
• International Scientific and Cultural Exchange
• Adult Education

Born on the south side of Chicago Illinois, I spent the majority of my childhood and adolescence abroad living variously in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. I received my B.A. in Biology from the University of Chicago in 1982 and my Ph.D. in 1991 again in biology from Yale University. My research interests are in evolutionary biology and my career has focused on molecular evolution and using molecular methods to investigate evolutionary processes. In 2001, I came to Idaho to manage the Laboratory for Conservation and Ecological Genetics.

• Newcombe G, A. Shipunov, S. Eigenbrode, A. Raghavendra, H. Ding, C. Anderson, R. Menjivar, M. Crawford, M. Schwarzländer. Endophytes influence protection and growth of an invasive plant. Commun Integr Biol. 2009; 2(1):29-31.
• Szûcs M., C. L. Anderson, and M. Schwarzländer. 2009. Landscape genetics and climatic associations of flea beetle lineages, and implications for biocontrol of tansy ragwort. In Proceedings of  the XIIth International Symposium on the Biological Control of Weeds. Eds. M. Julian, R. Sforza, M. Bon, H. Evans, P. Hatcher, H. Hinz, and B. Rector. CABI, Wallingford, UK.
• Shipunov, A., G. Newcombe, A.K.H. Raghavendra, and C.L. Anderson. 2008. Hidden diversity of endophyte fungi from invasive spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L., Asteraceae).  American Journal of Botany 95(9): 1096–1108.
• Garton, E. O.,  D. Musil, K. P. Reese, C. L. Anderson and J. W. Connelly. 2007. Sentinel Leks:  An integrated sampling approach to estimate greater sage-grouse population characteristics. Monitoring Populations of Sage-Grouse, Symposium Proceedings, Station Bulletin 88, November 2007, College of Natural Resources Experimental Station, Moscow ID.
• Clark, M. E., B.D. Heath, C.L. Anderson, and T.L. Karr. 2006. Induced paternal effects mimic cytoplasmic incompatibility in Drosophila. Genetics 173: 727-734.
• Clark, M. E., Anderson, C., Cande, J. and Karr, T. L. 2005. Widespread prevalence of Wolbachia in laboratory stocks and the implications for Drosophila research. Genetics 170: 1667-1675.

Genetic Evaluation of Two Aquatic Invasive Plants to Mitigate Impacts on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Pablo, Montana. The USAShort Description: Abstract Eurasian milfoil (M. spicatum) is a invasive weed throughout much of the United States and causes serious ecological and economic harm. Locating and removing the fast growing weed in recently infested waters is crucial to successful management. However, distinguishing Eurasian milfoil from its morphologically similar relative, the native and benign Northern milfoil (M. sibiricum), can be problematic. Adding to the difficulty, hybrids (M. spicatum x M. sibiricum) have been identified in five states including Idaho and Washington. Hybrids pose a particular obstacle to waterway management, as they exhibit intermediate phenotypes making recognition difficult, and have the same deleterious impacts as Eurasian milfoil.  DNA-based diagnostic tests are currently the best method to accurately identify both hybrid milfoil and exotic milfoils. Existing DNA-based diagnostics rely on expensive and time consuming sequencing methods.  The aim of this project is to develop an allelic.

You can view a full list of awards, and publications in Cort's CV.