Publications

Animals have evolved behavioral variation to adapt to distinct environmental features. The expansion of neuron number is a potential neural mechanism underlying this behavioral adaptation. Corticospinal neurons (CSNs) are a classic example: an expansion...

Mammalian Y chromosomes acquire lineage-specific gene families^1,2,3,4,5 with spermatogenic functions in male fertility,^1,2,6,7,8 a mechanism that counters Y chromosome decay. However, in most mammals, the mechanisms by which Y chromosomes acquire new gene...

Populations that colonize islands experience novel selective pressures, fluctuations in size, and changes to their connectivity. Owing to their unique geographic setting, islands can function as natural laboratories in which to examine the interactions...

Evading imminent threat from predators is critical for animal survival. Effective defensive strategies can vary, even between closely related species. However, the neural basis of such species-specific behaviours remains poorly understood^1-4. Here we find...

Large genomic rearrangements, such as chromosomal inversions, can play a key role in evolution, but the mechanisms by which these rearrangements arise remain poorly understood. To study the origins of inversions, we generated chromosome-level de novo geno...

Genetic variation is known to contribute to the variation of animal social behavior, but the molecular mechanisms that lead to behavioral differences are still not fully understood. Here, we investigate the cellular evolution of the hypothalamic preoptic...

Variation in the size and number of axial segments underlies much of the diversity in
animal body plans. Here, we investigate the evolutionary, genetic, and developmental
mechanisms driving tail-length differences between forest and prairie ecotypes of deer...

The evolution of innate behaviours is ultimately due to genetic variation likely acting in the nervous system. Gene regulation may be particularly important because it can evolve in a modular brain-region specific fashion through the concerted action of c...

How locally adapted ecotypes are established and maintained within a species is a long-standing question in evolutionary biology. Using forest and prairie ecotypes of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), we characterized the genetic basis of variation in...

Chromosomal inversions are an important form of structural variation that can affect recombination, chromosome structure and fitness. However, because inversions can be challenging to detect, the prevalence and hence the significance of inversions...

Animals often adjust their behavior according to social context, but the capacity for such behavioral flexibility can vary among species. Here, we test for interspecific variation in behavioral flexibility by comparing burrowing behavior across three...

Among species, parental behaviors vary in their magnitude, onset relative to reproduction, and sexual dimorphism. In deer mice (genus Peromyscus), while most species are promiscuous with low paternal care, monogamy and biparental care have evolved at...