Research Projects

Broadly, my lab is focused on exploring the evolution and ecology of non-human primate and human sensory systems using molecular, psychophysical, behavioral and field ecology toolkits. I currently am engaged in two major research projects/programs.

Molecular, Anatomical, and Behavioral Ecology of Discriminative Touch in Primates

With Magda Muchlinski (Oregon Health and Science University) and Amanda Melin (University of Calgary), my lab is investigating the variation and evolution of discriminative touch across primates as part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation. We are exploring how locomotion, foraging strategy, diet, and tool use have shaped gene expression and mechanoreceptor anatomy in primate, human, and non-primate mammal hands and feet. Our previous work found that monkey species significantly differ in how frequently they use touch to investigate fruit and in anatomical proxies of manual dexterity. We are also combining transcriptomics with traditional histology methods to investigate potential genetic methods for estiimating mechanoreceptor density. We are collaborating with several research institutes and organizations in this project, including Kids Saving the Rainforest wildlife sanctuary in Costa Rica and the Caribbean Primate Research Center.

We are also looking for other field primatology collaborators interested in including how manual touch is used during foraging into their species!

Aging and the Senses

My lab is also currently exploring how aging affects sensory function, sensory anatomy, and sensory gene expression. As we age, our sensory function tends to decline, but how this anatomy changes and the mechanisms causing these changes are less well understood. We are collaborating with my colleagues at Midwestern (Meg Hall, Chriss Heesy), the Melin lab at the University of Calgary, James Higham at NYU, Mike Montague at the University of Pennsylvania, Noah Snyder-Mackler at Arizona State University, and the Caribbean Primate Research Station to investigate sensory aging in a non-human primate model (Macaca mulatta).

Sensory Ecology of Vision and Taste in Lemurs

My long-term research program is focused on investigating how ecological factors (e.g., diet, activity pattern, and habitat) influence interspecific and intraspecific variation in lemur visual and taste systems. Because they are an adaptive radiation of closely related taxa exploiting sometimes divergent ecological niches, Malagasy lemurs are an ideal group in which to explore a variety of exciting evolutionary and sensory questions. For example, how do habitat differences in light environments influence the loss of functional color vision in some nocturnal primate lineages? How do foraging strategy, diet, and activity pattern influence interspecific variation in visual acuity (in strepsirrhines and across mammals), eye morphology, color vision (evolution of polymorphic trichromacy or retention of dichromacy), or taste? Conversely, how does intraspecific variation in color vision influence reproductive success and feeding behavior in polymorphic trichromat species like sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi)?