Brian D Peer

Professor of Biological Sciences at Western Illinois University

“Battle for the nest: Coevolution between avian brood parasites and their hosts”

Wednesday, March 1

@ 12pm

in BPSB 122

(940 E 57^th St)  

ABSTRACT: Avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nest of other birds and rely on these hosts to care for their young. Brood parasitism is costly to the hosts and they have evolved a series of adaptations to reduce these costs, which in turn has selected for counter-adaptations by the brood parasites. One of the most enigmatic features of this system, and one that puzzled Darwin, is why hosts of brood parasites accept parasitism in spite of the significant costs. I will provide a brief overview of the brood parasites and their adaptations, and I will discuss the reasons for this apparent non-adaptive response to brood parasitism including the avian mafia, evolutionary lag, and evolutionary equilibrium. Finally, I will address the outcome of long term avian brood parasite-host coevolution.

Please contact me at cfleener@uchicago.edu if you are interested in meeting with Brian or joining for lunch!

COMPARATIVE BEHAVIORAL BIOLOGY PRESENTS: 

TIMOTHY BRAWN

University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, Organismal Biology and Anatomy 

Department of Psychology, Neuroscience 

on Wednesday, November 16 

at 12pm 

in BPSB 122 (940 E 57th St) 

A bird’s-eye view of sleep dependent memory consolidation: From humans to starlings 

Abstract: How new experiences are solidified into stable memories is a central question in neuroscience. One of the most intriguing discoveries in memory research is that brain activity during sleep helps to transform newly learned information and skills into robust memories. Behavioral studies in humans have provided extensive evidence supporting sleep consolidation of a broad range of memory tasks. Studies in animal systems have elucidated potential mechanisms contributing to sleep consolidation but often without demonstrating any memory benefit for the animal. Here, I will discuss the behavioral approach to sleep consolidation in humans. I will then use this approach to develop a behavioral animal model of sleep consolidation and reconsolidation in starlings, focusing on the differential effects of wakefulness and sleep on memory consolidation as well as the interaction of multiple learning experiences. I will end by the describing the structure of sleep in starlings and the relationship between sleep states and sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

The Comparative Behavioral Biology Workshop Presents

ADAM BROWN 

University of Chicago Computational Neuroscience

Wednesday, November 2nd at 12pm in BPSB 122 (940 E 57th St) 

The Local Food Movement: Serotonin Facilitates Efficient Foraging in C. elegans

ABSTRACT: Fast responses can provide a competitive advantage when resources are inhomogeneously distributed. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was shown to modulate locomotion on a lawn of bacterial food in serotonin (5-HT)-dependent manners. However, potential roles for serotonergic signaling in responding to food discovery are poorly understood. We found that 5-HT signaling in C. elegans facilitates efficient exploitation in complex environments by mediating a rapid response upon encountering food. Genetic or cellular manipulations leading to deficient serotonergic signaling resulted in gradual responses and defective exploitation of a patchy foraging landscape. Physiological imaging revealed that the NSM serotonergic neurons responded acutely upon encounter with newly discovered food and were key to rapid responses. In contrast, the onset of responses of ADF serotonergic neurons preceded the physical encounter with the food. The serotonin-gated chloride channel MOD-1 and the ortholog of mammalian 5-HT1 metabotropic serotonin receptors SER-4 acted in synergy to accelerate decision-making. The relevance of responding rapidly was demonstrated in patchy environments, where the absence of 5-HT signaling was detrimental to exploitation. Our results implicate 5-HT in a novel form of decision-making, demonstrate its fitness consequences, suggest that NSM and ADF act in concert to modulate locomotion in complex environments, and identify the synergistic action of a channel and a metabotropic receptor in accelerating C. elegans decision-making.

The Comparative Behavioral Biology Workshop Presents

GENE ROBINSON

from the Department of Entomology and the Carl W. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

this Wednesday, October 19 at 12pm 

in BPSB 122 (940 E 57th St) 

Me to We: Using Honey Bees to Search for the Genetic Roots of Social Life 

Abstract:

True societies are very rare in biology, but have evolved repeatedly in a group of insects that include the ants, bees, and wasps, with the honey bee widely considered a paragon of sociality. In this lecture I will use the honey bee and related bee species to demonstrate how genomics enables the study of social life in molecular terms, with examples of mechanisms relating selfish behavior that have evolved to promote cooperation, and connections between socially responsive genomes and human health.

If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Robinson during his stay, please contact me at cfleener@uchicago.edu

I’d like to welcome everyone back for the 2016-2017 year with a

MEET AND GREET 

on Wednesday, October 5th 

at 12pm in BPSB 122

(940 E 57th St) 

We will provide FREE LUNCH, will share details about upcoming speakers, and will give everyone a chance to get to know each other.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to cfleener@uchicago.edu! 

Welcome to the Comparative Behavioral Biology Workshop!

Wednesdays @ 12pm

Biological Sciences Building, 940 East 57th St

Seminar Room 122

This seminar series explores questions of behavior and biology from multiple disciplines spanning ethology, psychology, physiology, neuroscience, genetics, ecology, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and more! Students and faculty are encouraged to participate in this opportunity to get feedback on dissertation chapters, proposals, defenses, or job talks and share new and ongoing research with the rest of the scientific community! This workshop also provides a unique opportunity for students and faculty to invite, meet with, and hear from prestigious speakers from around the world.

If you are interested in presenting at this workshop or if you would like to invite a speaker please contact me at cfleener@uchicago.edu.

Don’t miss our FINAL COMPARATIVE BEHAVIORAL BIOLOGY seminar of the year by:

JASON MUNSHI-SOUTH

from the Louis Calder Center & Dept of Biological Sciences at Fordham University

“A Tale of Two Rodents: Evolution of deer mice and rats in New York City” 

Wednesday, June 1st @ 12pm 

in Biopsychological Sciences Building (BPSB 940 E 57th St) Room 122

Abstract: A unique assemblage of native and nonnative rodents inhabit New York City, but differ in their occupancy of “green” and “gray” infrastructure. They also vary in their ability to disperse through heterogenous urban landscapes, which can have profound implications for genetic drift, migration, and selection in urban populations. For the past seven years my lab has been using population genomic approaches to investigate the evolutionary biology of white-footed mouse populations in and around New York City. This talk reviews our work on loss of genome-wide variation, evolutionary potential, historical demography, and natural selection in these populations. Unlike white-footed mice that are isolated in urban forests, NYC rats avoid forest fragments but occupy much of the remaining urban habitat. Our lab has recently begun investigating the population genomics of NYC rats to understand how they use urban space, how they have adapted to new urban conditions, and how they are related to rat populations around the world.

If you are interested in meeting with Dr. Munshi-South during his visit, please contact Christine Fleener at cfleener@uchicago.edu