Donald Dearborn – Evolution

Evolution, Behavior, and Conservation Biology

Professor Dearborn’s research asks why animals do the things they do, and how we can do a better job of mitigating our impacts on the natural world.  Recurring research themes include mate choice, parental investment strategies, population structure, and host-parasite evolution. Most of this work is with seabirds and songbirds.  Professor Dearborn uses a mix of lab methods (mainly genetics tools) and field methods.   For more information, see www.bates.edu/~ddearbor

Selected Publications

Juola FA, Dearborn DC.  2011.  Sequence-based evidence for major histocompatibility complex-disassortative mating in a colonial seabird.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences in press.

Dearborn DC, Kark S. 2010. Motivations for conserving urban biodiversity.  Conservation Biology 24:432-440.

Dearborn DC, MacDade LS, Robinson S, Fink ADD, Fink ML. 2009.  Offspring development mode and the evolution of brood parasitism. Behavioral Ecology 20:517-524.

Selected Mentored Theses

Wellens, Kaitlin 2011. Colony Formation and Nest Preference in Galapagos Blue-footed Boobies (Sula nebouxii)

Will, Alexis 2005 (Bucknell University). The Effect of Climate Conditions on Reproduction in the Thick-Billed Murre Uria lomvia

Buchanan, Jacob 2003 (Bucknell University). The Relationship between Nest Predation and Parental Behavior of the Black-capped Vireo, Vireo atricapillus