Nikki Lee
National Science Foundation PostDoctoral Fellow
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Research DescriptionBroadly, I seek to understand how mechanisms in the brain contribute to the vast differences in social behavior evident among mammals, with particular interest in the evolution of such neural and behavioral diversity. Dispersal is an important behavioral and life history transition. Much variation in sociality arises due to differences in individual dispersal decisions: Dispersal can result in solitary adults that interact with conspecifics primarily just to mate, whereas failure to disperse can result in the formation of social groups. While dispersal structures the social lives of all mammals, little is known about the neural and hormonal mechanisms that mediate this critical aspect of behavior. To address this gap, I will be using an integrative approach to evaluate the neuroendocrine predictors of dispersal behavior in captive and semi-captive colonial tuco-tucos (Ctenomys sociabilis), as well as wild Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi). Let me know if you have any question/want to chat! Email me: [email protected] |
