Early theoretical models for the evolution of male-female
pairing were based largely on studies of birds. These models
assumed that biparental care of eggs and young was an
essential component of pairing. However, male-female pairing
is also a relatively common social system in coral-reef
fishes, and biparental care of young...
This thesis describes studies that investigated 1)
the effects of courtship on the neuroendocrine system of
female rough-skinned newts, Taricha granulosa, and 2)
whether the observed courtship-induced neuroendocrine
changes affected female sexual receptivity.
Sexual behaviors of female T. granulosa changed
dramatically during courtship. Initially, females
exhibited unreceptive behaviors to a...
Plethodontid salamanders have served as an informative vertebrate system for studying the role of chemical signals in facilitating social and reproductive behaviors. Individuals produce complex mixtures of chemicals from multiple glandular regions. In total, these secretions convey a wide variety of information, and are important for numerous inter- and intraspecific...
My dissertation focuses on the evolutionary forces that have shaped the chemical signaling system of plethodontid salamanders. Pheromones mediate two phases of plethodontid reproduction: mate attraction prior to courtship and female persuasion during courtship. Substrate-borne chemical signals are believed to play an important role in mate attraction for these animals....
Darwin devised the evolutionary theory of sexual selection to account for the manifold extravagances of courtship behaviors and displays. Mating interactions represent a major evolutionary process driving the elaboration, vibrancy, and peculiarity of these courtship traits. For my dissertation research, I strived to elucidate the dynamics that constitute the complex...
Sexual selection can influence the mating system of an organism through multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms result in variation in reproductive success among individuals, and include scramble competition, endurance rivalries, contests, mate choice and cryptic choice, and sperm competition. Understanding the mating system of a species requires the identification of which...
Mimicry, obscure colors, and secondary sexual colors were
important classes of observations that were analyzed by nineteenth
century biologists from several vantage points. Adherents of the
doctrine of special creation of fixed species believed animal colors
to be evidence of design; Darwin and Wallace and their successors
suggested that a...
Chemoreception is one of the dominant sensory modalities for many species of salamanders (reviewed in Chapter 2). At least seven of the ten currently recognized salamander families are known to respond to some sort of chemical cue. These responses are as varied as delaying hatching, seeking refuge, or initiating aggressive...
