Ecology, Evolution & Conservation (EEC) Research Group
Faculty within this group focus on basic and applied questions in biology within a dramatically changing world. Our group strives to understand mechanisms and determine their manifest at higher levels of biological organization to affect ecology, evolution, and conservation. We investigate questions transcending the traditional biological organization of individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Faculty and students in this group are highly collaborative within the research group, with other research groups in the department, across the university, and with partner institutions such as Children's Hospital Research Center, Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Cincinnati Museum Center, and the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Graduate Advisors for MS Thesis and PhD Program
* Indicates lab is accepting graduate applications for the upcoming Fall Semester
Joshua Benoit*
Lab Website
Email Address: benoitja@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Insect stress tolerance, hormonal regulation of metabolism, reproductive physiology
The
Benoit lab studies the mechanisms underlying insect stress tolerance
and dormancy, reproductive physiology, and regulation of metabolism;
with a slant towards medically-important arthropods.
Elke Buschbeck*
Lab Website
Email address: buschbek@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Neuroethology: function and evolution of insect visual systems
The Buschbeck lab studies the function, development and evolution of invertebrate eyes.
Theresa Culley
Lab Website
Email address: theresa.culley@uc.edu
Research interest: Population genetics of plants, invasive species; habitat fragmentation
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Ronald DeBry
Email address: debryrw@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Phylogenetic systematics, molecular forensics
Kathleen Grogan*
Lab Website
Email address: groganke@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Anthropological genetics, epigenomic response, environmental change. The Grogan lab studies how genetic and epigenetic variation impacts inter-individual differences in health, survival, and reproduction across environmental conditions
Joshua Gross*
Lab Website
Email address: grossja@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Molecular and genetic bases for cave adaptation; evolution and development
The Gross lab studies the genetic and developmental mechanisms that underlie morphological, sensory, physiological and behavioral evolution. We utilize a model system called the blind Mexican cavefish
Patrick Guerra*
Lab Website
Email address: guerrapk@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Sensory ecology; orientation and navigation mechanisms; animal architecture
The Guerra lab studies how animals use sensory cues from their environment to move in time and space. Behavioral, physiological, and genetic approaches are used to understand the mechanisms and evolution of animal movement.
Elizabeth Hobson*
Lab Website
Email address: hobsoneh@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Ecology and evolution of social complexity; cognitive ecology; social structure
The Hobson lab research focuses on social information: what animals know about their social worlds, how they come to know it, and what they do with that information.
Bruce Jayne*
Lab Website
Email address: jaynebc@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Neural control of movement and behavior of ectothermic vertebrates.
The Jayne lab uses comparative studies to determine the relative importance of variation in anatomy, behavior and environmental factors for affecting whole-animal function.
David Lentz*
Email address: lentzdl@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Historical ecology, paleoethnobotany
Stephen Matter*
Lab Website
Email address: mattersf@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Ecology, metapopulation, dispersal, migration, climate change, population, modelling, community
Nathan Morehouse*
Lab Website
Email address: morehonn@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interests: Visual and behavioral ecology, coevolutionary dynamics of reproductive traits
The
Morehouse Lab studies the visual ecology and reproductive biology of
insects and spiders. Research themes include the evolution of visual
functions like color vision and gaze control, sensory exploitation,
sexual selection, sexual conflict, and life history evolution.
Ken Petren*
Email address: petrenk@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Landscape genetics, rapid evolution, ancient DNA, vertebrates
Michal Polak*
Lab Website
Email address: polakm@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Evolution of insect reproductive traits; sexual selection
The
Polak lab addresses fundamental questions in evolutionary biology. The
research pursued encompasses sexual selection, nutritional ecology, and
host-parasite interactions.
Stephanie Rollmann*
Lab Website
Email address: stephanie.rollmann@uc.edu
Research interest: Genetics and neurobiology of behavior, olfaction; chemical ecology
The Rollmann lab takes a multi-dimensional approach to understanding the genetic and neural underpinnings of chemical communication and behavior by combining behavioral, molecular genetic and neurophysiological approaches.
Eric Tepe*
Lab Website
Email address: tepeej@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Plant systematics, phylogenetics, and evolution of diversity; Curator of the Margaret H. Fulford Herbarium. The Tepe lab takes advantage of tools from molecular systematics and genomics to specimen-based alpha taxonomy to field work and herbarium study to address questions about the evolution and diversification of plants using the “giant genera” Piper and Solanum as model systems.
George Uetz
Email address: uetzgw@ucmail.uc.edu
Research interest: Animal communication, sensory ecology and sexual selection; arachnology
The Uetz lab works on the sensory ecology of multimodal communication (visual and vibratory) and its role in sexual selection and species recognition in spiders.