our research

Dissecting behavior across levels of biological organization—from genes to neurons to circuits to organismal function to community interactions—and across evolutionary timescales

study system

Drosophila sit at a powerful intersection: rich natural ecology paired with an unparalleled toolkit for genetics and neuroscience.

We use courtship as a model for behavioral evolution. Courtship behaviors determine mating success and directly influence fitness, making them ecologically and evolutionarily central traits. In Drosophila, courtship consists of a sequence of discrete, quantifiable behaviors that have diversified rapidly within and among species to signal identity and prevent interspecies mating.

These rituals are also supported by well-characterized neural circuits, providing a rare opportunity to compare homologous circuits across species. By examining how the same underlying circuitry is modified, we uncover the genetic and neural mechanisms that generate behavioral diversity.

Together, this integrative approach makes Drosophila a uniquely powerful system for dissecting the genomic mechanisms that produce behavior in the lab and applying those insights in naturalistic contexts to understand how behavior shapes evolution in real time.

Research directions

GENETIC & NEURAL MECHANISMS

Our lab dissects behavioral evolution by integrating gene editing with genomics and transcriptomics to identify the genetic changes underlying behavioral divergence across timescales. Once candidate genes are identified, we trace their effects to specific neurons and circuits, defining where and when evolutionary modifications occur.

Using microscopy, molecular tools, and functional assays, we determine how genetic variation reshapes the structure and physiology of homologous neurons to produce new behavioral outputs. This mechanistic framework connects evolutionary genomics to neural circuit function, revealing how changes in genes alter circuits to shape the pace of behavioral evolution.

Behavior as an agent of evolution

Behavior both evolves and shapes the pace of evolutionary change. Using courtship as a model, we examine this reciprocal feedback through field collections across environmental gradients, mechanistic laboratory experiments, and experimental evolution in naturalistic mesocosms.

Because behavior emerges from whole organisms embedded in ecological and social environments, its evolution reflects trade-offs among sensory processing, neural circuitry, physiology, and life-history strategy. By integrating genetic and neural mechanisms with organismal performance and fitness, we reveal how selection acts on the holistic organism—and how behavioral trade-offs shape evolutionary trajectories.

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