DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Signal Evolution in Heterospecific Contact Zones and Selective Bases for Reproductive Character Displacement in Pseudacris Frogs

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North American chorus frogs (Pseudacris) represent an excellent group to study speciation, and particularly how reproductive behaviors of populations differ in areas where species come into contact with one another. We will study how the calls of chorus frog species evolve in areas where three species co-occur. Differences in reproductive behavior (calling patterns) will be quantified in areas of interspecific contact. Laboratory experiments will determine the consequences of hybridization among species, and field experiments will be initiated to determine calling preferences of female frogs as evidence for reinforcement of species discrimination. The proposed research combines theory and techniques from several subdisciplines in ecology and evolutionary biology, and this combination should yield novel insights and results into role that reproductive isolation plays in speciation.