Research

Aposematic animals use eye-catching color patterns called warning signals to promote avoidance learning in predators. Warning signals are expected to look the same and converge on a single form so that they are more easily recognized and avoided by predators. I am interested in how predators learn to avoid colour patterns and how the colour patterns evolve to look the same (through stabilizing selection and convergent evolution).

I am interested in whether aposematic warning signals reveal the strength (rather than simply the existence) of chemical defences. My MSc research suggests that the coloration of ladybird beetle eggs reliably signals the strength of chemical defences and that maternal investment of pigments and toxins into eggs may serve to influence the reliability of aposematic signalling in offspring.

Nudibranchs are soft-bodied sea slugs that lack the shells that provided mechanical protection to their ancestors. Instead, nudibranchs evolved to sequester chemical defences and/or nematocysts from dietary sources such as poriferans, bryozoans, cnidarians, and ascidians. Through anatomical and biogeographical investigations, I aim to understand the factors that shape chemical diversity in these marine molluscs. I explore the role of chemicals in defence against predation using chemical 'taste tests' and toxicity bioassays.

Marine organisms, in particular molluscs, are an important source of diverse natural products, and investigations into their biological and chemical properties have lead to the discovery of many biologically potent chemicals with FDA approval due to their analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer activity. Whilst many natural products are too rare to be collected in large quantities for the pharmaceutical industry, they may act as lead compounds that can be precursors for synthetic compounds. However, the identity and level of chemical defense is known for less than <1% of all mollusc species. I collaborate with chemists to aid in the discovery of novel compounds, while also helping put such chemicals into a natural context so that we can understand their ecological function and evolution.