August 2018 - Lovette Lab

2018 August

Nati on sparrow songs at the International Ornithological Congress

Postdoc Natalia Garcia presented the first results of a project studying vocal performance in the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis). This species shows vocal dialects that, contrary to what happens in other Zonotrichia species, seem to be shaped by habitat type: their song trills are slower in closed environments and are…

Shawn on towhee hybrids at the International Ornithological Congress

At the IOC in Vancouver, Shawn presented a portion of his postdoctoral work from the lab, describing how genetic data were generated from museum specimens using the HyRAD protocol. These data were used to characterize a hybrid zone between Eastern and Spotted Towhees, which showed extensive genetic introgression and low…

Signals of Adaptive Introgression Between Saltmarsh and Nelson’s Sparrows

Postdoc Jen Walsh is the lead on a new study published in Evolution that leverages whole genome data from Saltmarsh and Nelson’s sparrows to investigate the genomic landscape of introgression between these species. By comparing populations in allopatry and sympatry, Jen’s paper shows that contemporary introgression is shaping the genomic…

Natalie on starlings at International Ornithological Congress

At the IOC this week PhD candidate Natalie Hoffmeister presented some of her work on the population genomics of European (Common) starlings. Her poster covered 1) genome-wide differentiation within North American starlings, and 2) evidence for local adaptation within starling invasions in Australia and the U.S. This work is part…

Dave on warblers at International Ornithological Congress

At the IOC this week Postdoc Dave Toews presented new golden-winged and blue-winged warbler genomic results. Data come from over 100 re-seqeunced genomes sampled across the range of both groups. He discussed finding some genomic ‘weirdos’ in Appalachia that appear to ‘genomic relicts’, somehow avoiding admixture. He also announced recruitment…

Really Big News about our Littlest Lab Group Member!

Enormous congratulations to postdoc Jen Walsh and her husband Marc on the birth of their first child, Griffin Leo Emond!!!! We are greatly looking forward to having this very cute little guy join our lab group events when the time comes, and wish Jen and Marc all the best as they experience the innumerable joys of parenthood!

Jake wins SSB Publisher’s Award for Best Paper!

Congratulations to PhD candidate Jake Berv for winning the 2017 Publisher’s Award for the best paper authored by a student in the journal Systematic Biology. Jake won this honor for his paper on the Genomic Signature of an Avian Lilliput Effect across the K-Pg Extinction, and the award was presented…

Evolution 2018 in Montpellier!

The second joint congress of Evolutionary Biology started in Montpellier, France. This meeting brings together the European Society for Evolutionary Biology with the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution and the Society of Systematic Biologists. On the first day, graduate student Jacob Berv gave a presentation…

Month: August 2018