Research Overview
Our research examines the genetic, molecular, and neurobiological basis of complex behaviors and how these behaviors contribute to speciation. We combine animal tracking, genomics, transcriptomics, bioinformatics, and comparative neurobiology to investigate how behavioral differences arise, evolve and contribute to the maintenance of species boundaries.
One of the primary systems we study is a hybrid zone between two subspecies of Swainson’s thrushes that differ in their migratory behavior. We track these birds in the wild using the latest tracking technology and also maintain them in captivity. We are overlapping results from various omic techniques (genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics) to identify specific genes that control migratory behavior in the system and apply tools from neurobiology to understand how they impact the brain. We also study a hybrid zone between two species of hummingbirds. We are interested in the courtship behavior of the hummingbirds; males use dramatic dives to attract females in this system, flying past females at speeds fast enough to produce a doppler effect while they sonate with their tail and flash their iridescent throats. We use techniques from neurobiology to understand mate choice in the system.
