Research Areas
Distributed Vision
Understanding the perceptual worlds of animals involves trying to see the world through their eyes. But what if an animal has dozens of eyes? And what if it lacks anything easily recognized as a brain? Animals such as these (e.g. certain bivalves and chitons) are more common than you might think. By learning how these animals acquire and process visual information we can begin to predict what their sensory experiences might be like and from there develop hypotheses about the potential advantages and constraints of distributed vision.
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Visual Ecology
The visual systems of animals vary in form and function such that different kinds of animals can perceive similar surroundings in dissimilar ways. By characterizing the spatial resolutions, spectral responses, and temporal dynamics of visual systems, we can learn how animals detect predators and prey, hide themselves from detection, and navigate through their environments. Current projects in this area involve molluscs (chitons, scallops, and gastropods) and crustaceans (mostly benthic decapods such as crabs and snapping shrimp).
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Natural Armor Systems
Many biological structures are multifunctional, but how are trade-offs between separate functions balanced? For example, how are separate functions balanced in structures that contribute to both armor and sensory systems? Current projects include 1) studying how the helmet-like orbital hoods of snapping shrimp damp the shock waves these animals produce and use as weapons without impairing vision and 2) exploring trade-offs between sensing and protection in chitons, which have distributed sensory networks embedded in their shell plates.
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Eye Evolution
Learning how complex traits like eyes originate is fundamental for understanding evolution. From a phylogenetic perspective, eyes appear to have evolved separately many times. Yet from molecular and developmental perspectives, eyes in distantly related lineages can appear similar. How can we reconcile such seemingly incompatible perspectives on eye evolution? How many times have eyes evolved – dozens, several, or just once? On-going projects are focused on lineages of molluscs with diverse visual systems, e.g. chitons, bivalves, and gastropods.
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Biology of Color
Animals produce a rich and diverse palette of colors and use these colors for tasks such as camouflaging their bodies, signaling their attractiveness to mates, and communicating their potential toxicity. To make colors, animals can use light-absorbing pigments and/or light-scattering nanostructures. We are currently asking how animals efficiently produce colors (often through combining pigments and nanostructures) and how they optimize color displays for particular tasks. Our major current project in this area concerns the butterfly Speyeria.
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