Explanipedia

Population isolation in the Plains spadefoot toad: causes and conservation implications Open

Amanda J. Chunco, Emma Nault, Rebecca F. Silverman, Sarah Midolo, Hanna Harper , et al. · 2024

Range disjunctions appear to be common in nature, although they may be caused by various factors. They may simply be an artefact of inadequate sampling. If real, they may be the result of colonization events or habitat change. With natural…

Microbial <span>DNA</span> extraction method for avian feces and preen oil from diverse species Open

Austin Russell, Margaret A. Kenna, Alex Van Huynh, Amber M. Rice · 2024

As DNA sequencing technology continues to rapidly improve, studies investigating the microbial communities of host organisms (i.e., microbiota) are becoming not only more popular but also more financially accessible. Across many taxa, micr…

Thermal acclimation in a non-migratory songbird occurs via changes to thermogenic capacity, but not conductance Open

Rena M. Schweizer, Abimael Romero, Bret W. Tobalske, Georgy А. Semenov, Matt D. Carling , et al. · 2023

Thermoregulatory performance can be modified through changes in various subordinate traits, but the rate and magnitude of change in these traits is poorly understood. We investigated flexibility in traits that affect thermal balance betwee…

Thermal acclimation in a non-migratory songbird occurs via changes to thermogenic capacity, but not conductance Open

Rena M. Schweizer, Abimael Romero, Bret W. Tobalske, Georgy А. Semenov, Matt D. Carling , et al. · 2022

Thermoregulatory performance can be modified through changes in various subordinate traits, including thermal conductance, basal and summit metabolic rates, and body composition. We investigated physiological differences between black-capp…

Parallel evolution and ecological selection: replicated character displacement in spadefoot toads Open

Amber M. Rice, A. R. Leichty, D. W. Pfennig · 2020

Ecological character displacement—trait evolution stemming from selection to lessen resource competition between species—is most often inferred from a pattern in which species differ in resource-use traits in sympatry but not in allopatry,…

Genetic variation during range expansion: effects of habitat novelty and hybridization Open

Amanda A. Pierce, Rafael Gutiérrez, Amber M. Rice, Karin S. Pfennig · 2020

How species' ranges evolve remains an enduring problem in ecology and evolutionary biology. Species' range limits are potentially set by the inability of peripheral populations to adapt to range-edge habitat. Indeed, peripheral populations…

Population differentiation at a regional scale in spadefoot toads: contributions of distance and divergent selective environments Open

Amber M. Rice, Michael A. Mcquillan, Heidi A. Seears, Joanna Warren · 2020

The causes of population differentiation can provide insight into the origins of early barriers to gene flow. Two key drivers of population differentiation are geographic distance and local adaptation to divergent selective environments. W…

The Overlooked Influence of Hybridization on Cognition Open

Amber M. Rice · 2020

OPINION article Front. Ecol. Evol., 25 February 2020 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2020.00039

Ecological Character Displacement and its Consequences: Population Genetic Analyses in Spadefoot Toads Open

Amber M. Rice · 2019

Ecological character displacement, or trait evolution stemming from resource competition, occurs when selection to avoid resource competition favors individuals of two competing species who are least like the other species in resource use …

Conspecific olfactory preferences and interspecific divergence in odor cues in a chickadee hybrid zone Open

Alex Van Huynh, Amber M. Rice · 2019

Understanding how mating cues promote reproductive isolation upon secondary contact is important in describing the speciation process in animals. Divergent chemical cues have been shown to act in reproductive isolation across many animal t…

Maladaptive learning and memory in hybrids as a reproductive isolating barrier Open

Amber M. Rice, Michael A. McQuillan · 2018

Selection against hybrid offspring, or postzygotic reproductive isolation, maintains species boundaries in the face of gene flow from hybridization. In this review, we propose that maladaptive learning and memory in hybrids is an important…

Hybrid Songbirds are Deficient in Learning and Memory Open

Michael A. McQuillan, Timothy C. Roth, Alex Van Huynh, Amber M. Rice · 2017

Identifying the phenotypes underlying postzygotic reproductive isolation is crucial for fully understanding the evolution and maintenance of species. One potential postzygotic isolating barrier that has not yet been examined is learning an…

Genetic variation during range expansion: effects of habitat novelty and hybridization Open

Amanda A. Pierce, Rafael Gutierrez, Amber M. Rice, Karin S. Pfennig · 2017

How species' ranges evolve remains an enduring problem in ecology and evolutionary biology. Species’ range limits are potentially set by the inability of peripheral populations to adapt to range-edge habitat. Indeed, peripheral populations…

Population differentiation at a regional scale in spadefoot toads: contributions of distance and divergent selective environments Open

Amber M. Rice, Michael A. McQuillan, Heidi A. Seears, Joanna Warren · 2016

The causes of population differentiation can provide insight into the origins of early barriers to gene flow. Two key drivers of population differentiation are geographic distance and local adaptation to divergent selective environments. W…

Differential effects of climate and species interactions on range limits at a hybrid zone: potential direct and indirect impacts of climate change Open

Michael A. McQuillan, Amber M. Rice · 2015

The relative contributions of climate versus interspecific interactions in shaping species distributions have important implications for closely related species at contact zones. When hybridization occurs within a contact zone, these facto…

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