EEB Student Dissertation Defense // From Museums to Islands: How Species Interactions Affect Cryptic Traits

Hayley Crowell, EEB PhD student, presents their dissertation defense.

Summary: Our understanding of ecology and evolution depends on organismal traits we can detect and quantify. Hidden (i.e., cryptic) traits, those not readily apparent or those obscured by variation in other traits, represent a challenge in that they can lead to incomplete or incorrect interpretations of pattern and process in phenotypic evolution. The study of ecological and evolutionary interactions among species is particularly sensitive to these challenges in trait detection and quantification because every organism uses other species to survive and reproduce. If organisms are using hidden traits to communicate and function, then we may be missing entire axes of variation crucial to our understanding of species interactions. Given that many organisms have vastly different sensory capabilities than humans, studying cryptic traits in the context of species interactions provides the opportunity to examine animal behavior and ecology from perspectives more relevant to the interacting species themselves. My dissertation combines museum methods, classroom experiences, phylogenetic comparative analyses, and field observations to investigate species interactions and their consequential effects on cryptic trait variation. This research provides a detailed exploration into the evolution of UV color in response to ecological variables, as well as integrative ways to use museums and teaching to further our understanding of broader trait evolution in response to species interactions.

This is a hybrid event. Join remotely: https://umich.zoom.us/j/93903023670
Meeting ID: 939 0302 3670
Passcode: umwelt