Caroline Dong

Tulane University | TU · Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The sensory drive hypothesis predicts the correlated evolution of signaling traits and sensory perception in differing environments. For visual signals, adaptive divergence in both color signals and visual sensitivities between populations may contribute to reproductive isolation and promote speciation, but this has rarely been tested or shown in t...

Colour polymorphism can promote rapid evolution and speciation, particularly when populations differ in the number or composition of morphs. The tawny dragon, Ctenophorus decresii , is a compelling study system in which to examine evolutionary processes and outcomes when polymorphic and monomorphic lineages meet. The species comprises a northern li...

Colour polymorphic species are model systems for examining the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain discrete phenotypic variation in natural populations. Lizards have repeatedly evolved strikingly similar polymor-phic sexual signals in distantly related lineages, providing an opportunity to examine convergence and divergence in colour...

The outcome of secondary contact between divergent lineages or species may be influenced by both the reproductive traits of parental species and the fitness of offspring; however, their relative contributions have rarely been evaluated, particularly in longer lived vertebrate species. We performed pure and reciprocal laboratory crosses between Cten...

The Australian Tawny Dragon lizard (Ctenophorus decresii), as currently recognized, comprises two genetically divergent lineages, northern and southern, that differ notably in male coloration. A narrow contact zone exists between the lineages with asymmetric and limited hybridization, indicating incompatibility and highlighting the need for further...

Australian lizards are a diverse group distributed across the continent and inhabiting a wide range of environments. Together, they exhibit a remarkable diversity of reproductive morphologies, physiologies, and behaviours that is broadly representative of vertebrates in general. Many reproductive traits exhibited by Australian lizards have evolved...

Some animals, including certain fish, beetles, spiders and Lepidoptera chrysalises, have such shiny or glossy surfaces that they appear almost mirror‐like. A compelling but unsubstantiated hypothesis is that a highly specular or mirror‐like appearance enhances survival by reflecting the surrounding environment and reducing detectability. We tested...

Diversification in sexual signals is often taken as evidence for the importance of sexual selection in speciation. However, in order for sexual selection to generate reproductive isolation between populations, both signals and mate preferences must diverge together. Furthermore, assortative mating may result from multiple behavioural mechanisms, in...

Non-native species have the potential to induce large-scale ecological changes that threaten native ecosystem biodiversity, particularly on islands. However, aside from the most conspicuous invasive taxa, the majority of non-natives receive relatively little scientific attention making it difficult to predict the severity of their impact. In additi...

Western Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta bellii) are the most anoxia-tolerant tetrapods known, capable of surviving anaerobically at 3°C for nearly 5 mo. In the northernmost latitudes of their range, adult painted turtles can experience winters lasting 6–7 mo. During this time, the pond surface is covered with ice and snow, denying the turtles acce...