Pearl R. Rivers
Ph.D. Candidate
privers@bio.fsu.edu, office: KIN 4004
B.S. Oberlin University
Dissertation Research:
Pearl's dissertation research investigates the causes and consequences of variability in mate choice in a tropical lekking passerine bird, the lance-tailed manakin (Chiroxiphia lanceolata). My research addresses four main aims: (1) factors influencing variation in multiple mating by females, (2) the role of multi-modal courtship signals in realized mate choices, (3) the role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in chemical signaling and mate choice decisions, and (4) variation in female preferences over time. By examining variation within and between mate choice bouts in relation to neglected signaling modes and across long temporal scales, Pearl hopes to better understand the axes of variation in mate choice and their effects on the evolutionary outcomes of sexual selection.
Additional projects:
Pearl is aso an active member of the Manakin Research Coordination Network.