House Sparrow nest boxes Stephenville, Texas
Research
In the Names Lab, we use an interdisciplinary framework involving the fields of physiology, morphology, and behavioral ecology to study and predict how anthropogenic global changes affect vertebrate evolution and conservation.
Avian Malaria effects on Hawaiian songbirds
We are studying how the introduction of avian malaria has affected the immunity, physiology, and behavior of an endemic island songbird, the Hawaii Amakihi. We aim to provide insights into the mechanisms of increased malaria resilience, and the consequences of chronic infection. Current projects include:
How does chronic infection influence body size?
How does immunity vary with sex and across elevation in juveniles?
How does physiological aging vary across the disease gradient in juveniles?
Adult male Hawaii Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens).
Pipetting for immune assay (photo credit: Kathleen Hunt).
Disease in juvenile mountain-crowned sparrows
Compared to adults, juveniles can be particularly susceptible to emerging and spreading diseases because their immune systems are not yet fully developed. However, rates of infections in wild juvenile birds, as well as how physiology (e.g., immunity, hormones) mediates infections, remain poorly understood. We aim to fill these gaps by studying disease in free-living mountain-crowned sparrows in Tioga, California. Current projects include:
How do blood parasite infection rates vary across individuals in juveniles?
How are immunomodulatory hormones related to infection rates in juveniles?
House sparrow responses to climate change
In the USA, adult house sparrows are bigger at more northern latitudes compared to southern latitudes, but the mechanisms driving this variation in body size remain poorly understood. In collaboration with Dr. Britt Heidinger’s lab at North Dakota State University, we are investigating the role nestling growth rates and hormones play in driving variation in adult body size. Current projects include:
Hoes do nestling body size, physiological aging, and insulin-like growth factor 1 vary across latitude?
How are growth and body size influenced by genetics and phenotypic plasticity?
Gabrielle measuring a nestling (photo credit: Anuj Ghimire).
NDSU undergraduate Logan checking a nest box.
Tarleton graduate student Lindsey checking a nest box.