Unraveling the neural basis of behavioral isolation through the lens of audition in anurans.

Background The origin and maintenance of species is a unifying theme in evolutionary biology. Mate choice and selection on sexual signals have emerged as powerful drivers of reproductive isolation-the key pillar of the Biological Species Concept. The mechanistic underpinnings of isolating behaviors lie in the circuit- and cellular-level properties of the brain and yet remain relatively understudied.

The population genetics of speciation by cascade reinforcement.

Species interactions drive diverse evolutionary outcomes. Speciation by cascade reinforcement represents one example of how species interactions can contribute to the proliferation of species. This process occurs when the divergence of mating traits in response to selection against interspecific hybridization incidentally leads to reproductive isolation among populations of the same species.