DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Sound Production in Spiny Lobsters (Palinuridae): Morphological Constraints and the Evolution of Signal Diversity

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Organisms communicate using a diversity of signals, but there is relatively little known of the factors that contribute to this diversity. One approach to addressing this question is to examine how the morphology involved in signal production may influence the way these signals can change over evolutionary time. Limits on morphological variation (morphological constraints) during the evolution of a communication system are rarely addressed because signal-producing morphology is often too complex to be analyzed. Spiny lobsters (Palinuridae) offer an important model system because both morphology and signal features can be easily quantified and because there is significant variation across this clade of organisms. This proposed research addresses two specific aims: (1) to construct a combined morphological and molecular phylogeny of the spiny lobsters and (2) to use comparative methods to test for correlations between sound-producing morphology, the surrounding antennal morphology and signal features. Results from these studies will be used to test hypotheses for how constraints on morphological variation influence signal diversity. Through an understanding of how constraints on morphological variation can lead to patterns of signal diversity, this research will offer novel insights into variation in the structure and function of communication systems.