u n d e r g r a d u a t e . r e s e a r c h.. o p p o r t u n i t i e s

Work in my lab focuses on understanding animal communication and signal evolution. More specifically, we are interested in determining how visual signals, such as colorful bird plumage or iridescent fish scales, evolve and change among populations, and how these changes, in turn, drive the formation of new species.

My students and I work on several animal groups across a diverse geographical range. There are many opportunities for undergraduates to participate in local and international projects. Some projects in my lab include:

1) Plumage evolution in bearded manakins (Manacus spp.). This is a long-term project looking at the ecological factors that explain the differences in coloration among populations of the bearded manakin in Central and South America. Populations we have sampled include Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Suriname. Students have joined us in the field, as well as helped with data analysis in my lab

2) Speciation in guppies (Poecilia reticulata).  Populations of guppies in Trinidad show variation in male coloration, and this variation has been linked to predator abundance and to differences in the visual environment (e.g., color of light). We wish to experimentally test the role of the visual environment in shaping male coloration. To do so, we will raise guppies in a green house under different lighting conditions to determine if male coloration changes in response to these divergent visual environments. We will then determine if such changes in male coloration affect species recognition

3) Color polymorphism in arrowhead spiders (Verrucosa arenata). Throughout its range in the Eastern US the arrowhead spider occurs in two different color forms: a yellow and white arrow form. Both color forms occur together in wood lots, and we are interested in understanding how these two forms can co-exist.

Other projects include plumage evolution in hummingbirds, female mimicry of males in Brachyraphis (fish), and speciation in kingfishers. For a more detailed description of my research program please visit Projects in the Uy Lab.

J. Albert Uy
104J Lyman Hall
443-7091
jauy@syr.edu