As a fifth year PhD student in the Davalos Lab, I am polishing my dissertation that investigates chemosensory innovation and loss in NW Leaf-nosed bats.
If my current work is of interest to you, read my lab notebook. It is in my current interest to commit to OpenScience and to create an open lab notebook.
If my current work is of interest to you, read my lab notebook. It is in my current interest to commit to OpenScience and to create an open lab notebook.
mating system and Vomeronasal organ diversity in bats
Is there variation in the transcriptome and histology of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) and accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) among species of Phyllostomid bats that reflects the variation in mating systems and social structure of these species? Leaf-nosed bats are (nearly) the only family of bats to possess a functional VNO and within this family there is a high level of variation in the morphology of the VNO. I am hypothesizing that this variation in the VNO is correlated with the mating system behavior of these bats, of which is also highly diverse within leaf-nosed bats. I am analyzing this question using receptor expression of vomeronasal receptors and comparing histological differences of receptor densities among species.
Molecular evolution of olfactory receptors in Leaf-Nosed Bats
Do you smell what you smell because you are you? Or do you smell what you smell because you live where you live? Using comparative approaches to study the olfactory receptors within and among taxa can provide us with useful insight as to how organisms adapt and interact with their environment. Using transcriptomic and genomic methods, I am interested in understanding differences in expression and differences and the functionality and non-functionality of olfactory receptors in animals of the same species living in different localities as well as different species within the same community to unveil the mysteriously awesome sense of smell.
Macroevolution and adaptive radiation of babblers
Birds of the family Timaliidae (babblers), are a species-rich group of passerines distributed throughout the Old World characterized by distinct phenotypic differences and highly diverse morphological features, including highly variable body size, bill structure,and plumage patterns. The evolutionary relationships among babblers have puzzled biologists for decades and the family is under constant revision. Although widely distributed, closely related species often coexist, suggesting niche partitioning among close relatives. The high morphological diversity may indicate a variety of niches being exploited by this family and may be a result of ecological opportunity. Because similar species can exist together in the same geographic location, intraspecific competition may have forced these birds to occupy other niches and eventual diversification to prevent competitive exclusion.High variation in morphological traits that provide higher fitness in a niche and rapid divergence from a common ancestor are features often used to diagnose an adaptive radiation, but frequently are poorly quantified. Rather than labeling the divergence of babblers as an adaptive radiation after-the-fact, we hypothesize the diversification of several subfamilies and genera within babblers as adaptive radiations by quantitatively analyzing the evolution and persistence of morphological traits related to fitness. To test the hypotheses of adaptive radiations, we quantified the variation in traits related to the ecology of babblers that may provide a fitness advantage in feeding mechanisms and adaptations and are using a Bayesian approach to detect whether or not the patterns of diversity of species show related patterns of morphological diversity by combining the best estimates of the phylogeny of Timaliidae (Moyle, et al., 2012) and morphological measurements.
Avian distribution modeling And land use in vietnam
After compiling locality information for babblers (Timaliidae) of Vietnam, I am modeling the distribution of different species and layering current land use data for the country in order to assess loss of distributions and potential habitats of these species. Due to many years of political turmoil, there has not been a focus on biodiversity research un recently. Within the past decade hundreds of new species have been identified(1), stressing how much there is yet to learn. The country is home to many highly endemic species found solely within its borders. Within the 20 years, Vietnam has urbanized and expanded its farming regions at an extremely rapid rate, struggling to balance sustainability and growth. Without an adequate understanding of what species live where, we are growing closer and closer to never knowing anything about them at all. Birds, in particular, are undergoing serious threats imposed by the pet trade and habitat loss due to illegal logging. Using babblers as a representative of biodiversity in Vietnam, the goal of this project is to provide scientists and researchers and understanding of the magnitude loss of habitat is affecting the species that live in such a special environment.