Research Interests
Chemical defenses are common among organisms and represent some of the most complex adaptations for avoiding predation, yet our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary nature of these systems remains incomplete. Animals possess a tremendous diversity of defensive chemicals, which are utilized for avoiding predation and play important and fundamental roles in mediating interactions among organisms. Many animals synthesize defensive chemicals, but others depend upon sequestering these chemicals from dietary sources. Such defensive systems have been well studied among phytophagous arthropods, but remain understudied among vertebrates.
Some animals complement chemical defenses with conspicuous colors and/or patterns, a phenomenon known as aposematism. Aposematism functions as an advertisement of unpalatability or noxiousness to potential predators, and its effectiveness is dependent on the ability of predators to form an association between conspicuous coloration and unprofitability, which results in prey avoidance. The use of aposematic (or warning) signals has been well documented among different animal taxa, including invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, snakes, and birds.
Research in the lab involves a variety of questions that surround the ecology and evolution of chemical defenses and aposematism in animals, with a particular interest in animals that sequester defenses from dietary sources. Most of our research surrounds the study of brightly colored poison frogs and their alkaloid-based chemical defenses. We incorporate a variety of comparative and experimental approaches (both lab- and field-based), and include aspects of ecology, evolution, behavior, natural history, and frog/arthropod chemistry.
Some animals complement chemical defenses with conspicuous colors and/or patterns, a phenomenon known as aposematism. Aposematism functions as an advertisement of unpalatability or noxiousness to potential predators, and its effectiveness is dependent on the ability of predators to form an association between conspicuous coloration and unprofitability, which results in prey avoidance. The use of aposematic (or warning) signals has been well documented among different animal taxa, including invertebrates, fishes, amphibians, snakes, and birds.
Research in the lab involves a variety of questions that surround the ecology and evolution of chemical defenses and aposematism in animals, with a particular interest in animals that sequester defenses from dietary sources. Most of our research surrounds the study of brightly colored poison frogs and their alkaloid-based chemical defenses. We incorporate a variety of comparative and experimental approaches (both lab- and field-based), and include aspects of ecology, evolution, behavior, natural history, and frog/arthropod chemistry.