My research uses new sequencing technologies to expand the genomic scope of speciation research. Right now I am mostly working on reconstructing evolutionary history - i.e. phylogenomics - of birds. I am generally interested in all questions involving speciation. I have published on evolution, ecology, behavior, natural history, and distributions of birds (and a few papers on mammals).
Publications
Genetic admixture in multidimensional niche space: asymmetrical niche similarity promotes gene flow in armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) (with Maria C. Arteaga, Luis E. Eguiarte, and Rodrigo A. Medellín), Evolution (2011)
We unite genetic data with a robust test of niche divergence to test the hypothesis...
New phylogenetic information suggests both an increase and at least one loss of cooperative breeding during the evolutionary history of Aphelocoma jays (with Elena C. Berg, Robert A. Aldredge, and A. Townsend Peterson), Evolutionary Ecology (2011)
Efforts to identify ecological and life history factors associated with cooperative breeding have been largely...
Calibrating divergence times on species tree versus gene trees: Implications for speciation history of Aphelocoma jays (with Joseph Heled, Kathleen S. Delaney, A. Townsend Peterson, and L. Lacey Knowles), Evolution (2011)
Estimates of the timing of divergence are central to testing the underlying causes of speciation....
Does niche divergence accompany allopatric divergence in Aphelocoma jays as predicted under ecological speciation?: Insights from tests with niche models (with Amanda J. Zellmer and L. Lacey Knowles), Evolution (2010)
The role of ecology in the origin of species has been the subject of long-standing...
Small-scale divergence in egg color along an elevation gradient in the mexican jay (aphelocoma ultramarina): A condition-dependent response? (with Elena C. Berg), The Auk (2010)
The functional significance of bird egg color and patterning is a continuing subject of interest...