Behavioral Evolution

Do social phenotypes in diverse species evolve via deeply homologous mechanisms?

Recent exploration into the neuromolecular bases of social behavior finds that gene expression in the relevant brain regions is highly conserved across vertebrates. This discovery suggests that the vast diversity of social behavior results from modifications to the same deep conserved mechanism. To test this idea, I ask to which extent species who have independently evolved similar behavioral phenotypes utilize overlapping neuromolecular mechanisms, using monogamy and social dominance as an example cases.  

Collaborators:
Hans Hofmann