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Fuller, Rebecca (Becky)
Assistant Professor, Animal Biology, Neuroscience
B.S., University of Nebraska
M.S., Michigan State University
Ph.D., Florida State University
Research Areas
Evolution of neural systems and behavior
To what extent do complex genetics and/or complex neurophysiology act as constraints on the evolution of behavior - particularly on the evolution of female mating preferences? This line of questioning focuses on the sensory bias model of sexual selection. This model posits that males evolve traits to match the underlying neurobiology of the female sensory system that, in contrast, does not evolve via sexual selection. Despite the fact that sensory bias appears well accepted in evolutionary biology, many of its critical features are untested. This paradox arises from the fact that sensory bias has been used to explain two different phenomena. First, it has been used as a hypothesis about signal design - that is, which types of traits males should evolve. Second, sensory bias has been used as an alternative to traditional hypotheses for explaining the evolution of female preference itself. My research focuses on this second facet. Sensory bias predicts that female sensory systems (and, therefore mating preferences) evolve as a correlated response to natural selection on other behaviors that share a common sensory system. In my previous research, I asked the following question: How evolvable are sensory systems? My study system was the bluefin killifish, Lucania goodei, a freshwater fundulid found across a range of environmental conditions. I first compared the vision physiology of individual L. goodei from two habitats with fundamentally different lighting environments and found ample evidence for variable sensory systems. Next, I performed a paternal half-sib breeding experiment and found evidence for both environmental and genetic variation within populations in sensory systems. My results indicate that sensory systems are readily evolvable traits that should respond to both natural and sexual selection. The next questions to be addressed in this line of research are the following: Do differences in sensory system physiology actually lead to differences in animal behavior? How strong is natural and sexual selection on sensory system physiology? Currently, I am addressing the question of whether mating preferences can evolve via natural selection. Under the sensory bias hypothesis, strong natural selection on sensory systems creates a correlated response in mating behavior. The simple observation that animals have to do many things with their sensory systems has led to the suggestion that selection on one task (e.g. foraging) can result in a correlated response in mating preference. To address this, I am exerting various types of selection on simulated sensory systems via selection on two behaviors, mating and foraging. Preliminary results indicate that foraging and mating behaviors are independent traits despite the fact that they share a common sensory system. This research will point to conditions under which sensory bias should play a large role in the evolution of male secondary sex traits and will point to critical tests that can be applied to real systems.
Representative Publications
Fuller, R.C. 2008. Genetic incompatibilities in killifish and the role of environment. Evolution 62: 3056–3068.
Fuller, R.C. 2008. A test for a trade-off in salinity tolerance in early life-history stages in Lucania goodei and L. parva. Copeia 2008: 154-157.
Fuller, R.C. & Noa, L. 2008. Distribution and stability of sympatric populations of Lucania goodei and L. parva across Florida. Copeia 2008: 699-707.
Fuller, R.C., McGhee, K.E. & Schrader, M. 2007. Speciation in killifish and the role of salt tolerance. J. Evol Biol. 20: 1962-1975.
McGhee, K.E., Fuller, R.C. & Travis, J. 2007. Male competition and female choice interact to determine mating success in the bluefin killifish. Behav Ecol. 18: 822-830.
Fuller, R.C., Houle, D. & Travis, J. 2005. Sensory bias and the evolution of female mating preferences. Am Nat.166: 437-446.
Fuller, R.C., Houle, D. and Travis, J. (in press) "Sensory bias and the evolution of female mating preferences" American Naturalist
Fuller, R.C., Baer, C.F. and Travis, J. (2005) "How and when selection experiments might actually be useful. " Integrative and Comparative Biology 45:291-404.
Fuller, R.C., Carleton, K.L., Fadool, J.M., Spady, T.C. and Travis, J. (2005) "Evolvable sensory systems in the bluefin killifish, Lucania goodei: genetic and environmental variation in opsin expression." Journal of Evolutionary Biology 18:516-523.
Fuller, R.C., Carleton, K.L., Fadool, J.M., Spady, T.C. and Travis, J. (2004) "Population variation in opsin expression in the bluefin killifish, Lucania goodei: a real-time PCR study." Journal of Comparative Physiology A 190:147-154.
Fuller, R.C. and Travis, J. (2004) "Genetics, lighting environment, and heritable responses to lighting environment affect male color morph expression in bluefin killifish, Lucania goodei." Evolution 58:1086-1098.
Fuller, R.C. (2003) "Disentangling female mate choice and male competition in the rainbow darter, Etheostoma caeruleum." Copeia 2003:138-148.
Additional Information
Awards:
2004-2008 National Science Foundation Grant - Fuller lead PI
2000-2002 National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Award
1995-1998 National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship
1998-1999 Graduate Women in Science Scholarship
2000-2003 University Research Fellowship Florida State University
2003 Florida State University Publication Award, Marget Menzel Award
1994-1995, 1997-1998 Michigan State Distinguished Fellowship
1993-1994 Fulbright Scholarship - Uppsala University, Sweden
Related Research (By Area):
Neuroethology
Sensory and Motor Systems
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