Cornell University
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

To survive and reproduce in dynamic environments organisms must continually alter the expression of a diversity of phenotypic traits. Research in our lab addresses how hormonal mechanisms mediate the flexible expression of phenotype, and how selective forces shape variation in these mechanisms within and across populations. 

A central theme of our research concerns how animals adjust their phenotype in response to stressors. From taking shelter in extreme weather to altering parental behavior in the presence of a predator to coping effectively with injury, how organisms respond to challenges can influence the likelihood that they survive and reproduce. Ongoing research is investigating how and why individuals and populations differ so dramatically in the capacity to cope with stressors, and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of this variation. Other research topics in the lab include how environmental and social context influence sexual selection and the integrated signaling phenotype.

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Photos by Nathan Gregory (marine iguanas) and Maren Vitousek (tree swallow).