Heather Shaffery

hms25@pitt.edu

Grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor)

Adventures in Ecology and Evolution

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Mate Choice and the Immune System

I am interested in how pathogens and an animal’s immune system mediate social interactions, with specific focus on mate choice decisions. A variety of hypotheses propose that animals may discriminate among potential mates based on how well they adapt to or overcome their pathogen loads. In particular I am interested in the role of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in these mate choice decisions. The MHC is a highly polymorphic region of the vertebrate genome that produces molecules primarily associated with adaptive immune function. These molecules are a critical component in the activation of the adaptive immune response, are used by some organisms for kin recognition, and recent evidence suggests may play an important role in mate choice decisions. Using the MHC as a tool, my research is focused on the role of the immune system in the mating decisions of Ranid frogs.

 

Phylogenetic Patterns of Plasticity

In addition to my research on mating and immunity I am in the process of completing a study examining the phylogenetic patterns of predator-induced plasticity in Ambystoma salamanders.

 

 

 

 

University of Pittsburgh

Department of Biology

101 Clapp Hall

Pittsburgh PA 15260

E-mail: hms25@pitt.edu