costs of adaptive resistanceIn the western U.S., some species of garter snakes have developed resistance to highly toxic Pacific newts. However, resistance stems from mutations in highly conserved sodium ion channels which reduce muscle tissue performance and may lead to tradeoffs between adaptive resistance and whole-animal performance, especially in the most resistant snakes. I've investigated potential costs in standard metabolic rate, sprint, endurance and behavior.
Advised by: Chris Feldman In collaboration with: Edmund Brodie III, Edmund Brodie Jr., Michael Hague, Robert del Carlo, Jessica Reimche, Vicki Thill, CM Gienger, and Molly Richard. |
Signal honesty in toxic newtsPacific newts have been used as a model of aposematism, however no formal studies have quantified color and how it is perceived by predators. I investigated whether their contrasting orange ventrums and dark dorsums, which are exposed during defensive "unken posturing," are visible to potential predators, shining some light on the qualitative honesty of this defensive signal. I also investigated the correlation between belly brightness and toxicity to understand whether color attributes communicate specific toxin information to predators (quantitative honesty).
In collaboration with: Sage Kruleski (EPSCOR-funded undergraduate researcher), Stephanie Palmer, Amber Stokes, Amar Risbud, Roger Hanlon, and Samuel Louden. |
Spadefoot toad demographyWorking under the guidance of Anne Devan-Song, I collected demographic, emergence, and habitat data across seasons to understand this fairly misunderstood toad. We tested multiple survey methods for Eastern spadefoots to inform efficient protocols for future studies.
In collaboration with: Nancy Karraker, Margarete Walden, and Mary-Ruth Low. |
Performance impacts of alanAs an undergraduate Coastal Fellow at University of Rhode Island in 2013, I investigated the impact of introducing artificial light at night into previously unlit areas of the Montgomery Botanical Center in southern Miami, FL. I focused on Anolis sagrei and studied changes in habitat use, behavior, night time restlessness, and daytime performance.
In collaboration with: Jason Kolbe, Chris Thawley, and Oriol Lapiedra. |