Publications

Servedio, M.R. 2025. The contributions of direct and indirect selection to the evolution of mating preferences. Evolution 79:51-64.

*Lerch, B.A., R. Bürger, and M.R. Servedio. 2024. Reconciling Santa Rosalia: Both reproductive isolation and coexistence constrain diversification. The American Naturalist. 204:E99-E114.

*Lerch, B.A and M.R. Servedio. 2024. The evolution of mate attachment. The American Naturalist. 204:E70-E84.

°Bishop, M.E., M.R. Servedio, and *B.A. Lerch.  2024.  The evolution of fear-acquisition strategies under predation. The Journal of Theoretical Biology 595:111949.

*Aubier, T.G., M. Kopp, °I.J. Linn, O. Puebla, M. Rafajlovic, and M.R. Servedio. 2024. Negative coupling: the coincidence of premating isolating barriers can reduce reproductive isolation. In Speciation, Cold Springs Harbor Perspectives in Biology. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 16:a041435. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a041435.

Dopman, E.B., K.L Shaw, M.R. Servedio, R. Butlin, and C.M. Smadja. 2024. Coupling barriers to gene exchange: causes and consequences. in Speciation, Cold Springs Harbor Perspectives in Biology. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 16:a041432. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a041432. 

*Xu, K, M.R. Servedio, S. Winnicki, C. Moskat, J.P. Hoover, A. Turner, and M.E. Hauber.  2023.  Host learning selects for coevolution of greater egg-mimicry and narrower anti-parasite egg-rejection thresholds. Evolution Letters 7:413-421.

*Xu, K., T.J. Vision and M.R. Servedio.  2023.  Evolutionary rescue under demographic and environmental stochasticity. The Journal of Evolutionary Biology.  36:1525-1538.

DuVal, E.H., C.L. Fitzpatrick, E.A. Hobson, and M.R. Servedio.  2023.  Inferred Attractiveness: a generalized mechanism for sexual selection that can maintain variation in traits and preferences over time.  PLoS Biology 21:e3002269.

• Winner of the Katma Award from the American Ornithological Society, which “recognizes papers proposing ideas or testing theories that replace current dogma or settled opinion and that could change the course of thinking about the biology of birds”

• Highlighted in a Primer (Mendelson, T.C., G.L. Patricelli and E.A. Hebets. 2023. Could sexual selection be driven by the mistaken inferences of young females? PLoS Biology 21:e3002321 )

• media coverage by: Le Parisien, Phys.org, The Conversation, EurekAlert and others

*Lerch, B.A. and M.R. Servedio.  2023.  Predation drives complex eco-evoutionary dynamics in sexually selected traits.  PLoS Biology 21:e3002059.

*†Xu, K., *†B.A. Lerch and M.R. Servedio. 2023. The Fisher process of sexual selection with the coevolution of preference strength. Evolution 77:1043-1055. 

*Lerch, B.A. and M.R. Servedio.  2023.  Indiscriminate mating and the coevolution of sex discrimination and sexual signals.  The American Naturalist 201:E56-E69.

*Aubier, T.G., R. Bürger, and M.R. Servedio.  2023.  The effectiveness of pseudomagic traits in promoting premating isolation.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 290:20222108. (10 pgs.)

*Lerch, B.A., T.D. Price and M.R. Servedio. 2022.  Better to divorce than be widowed: Mortality and environmental heterogeneity drive the evolution of divorce. The American Naturalist 200:518-531.

†Boughman, J.W. and †M.R. Servedio.  2022.  The ecological stage maintains preference differentiation and promotes speciation.  Ecology Letters. 25:926-938.

• media coverage in in the SCAS Talks Podcast Series

Cotto, O, M.R Servedio, and T. Day.  2022. The evolution of age-specific reproductive isolation.  Evolution 76:225-235. 

*Xu, K. and M.R Servedio.  2021.  The evolution of flower longevity in unpredictable pollination environments.  The Journal of Evolutionary Biology 34:1781-1792.

†Butlin, R.K., †M.R. Servedio, †C.M. Smadja, C. Bank, N.H. Barton, S.M. Flaxman, T. Giraud, R. Hopkins, E.L. Larson, M.E. Maan, J. Meier, R. Merrill, M.A.F. Noor, D. Ortiz-Barrientos, and A. Qvarnström. 2021. Homage to Felsenstein 1981, or why are the so few/many species. Evolution 75:978-988.

Alonzo, S.H. and M.R. Servedio. 2021. Embracing complexity might help us find clarity: a comment on Shuker and Kvarnemo. Behavioral Ecology 32:800.  

*Lerch, B.A, and M.R. Servedio. 2021.  Same-sex sexual behavior and selection for indiscriminate mating. Nature Ecology and Evolution 5:135-141.

• media coverage in Scientific American, (Willingham, E. 2020. When same-sex mating makes reproductive sense.)

†Servedio, M.R. and †R. Bürger.  2020.  The effectiveness of pseudomagic traits in promoting divergence and enhancing local adaptation.  Evolution.  74:2438-2450.

Servedio, M.R.  2020.  An effective mutualism? The role of theoretical studies in ecology and evolution. The American Naturalist 195:284-289.

†Servedio, M.R. and †J. Hermisson.  2020.  The evolution of partial reproductive isolation as an adaptive optimum.  Evolution 74:4-14.

†Servedio, M.R., °†J.M. Powers, R. Lande and T.D. Price.  2019.  Evolution of sexual cooperation from sexual conflict. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA.  116:23225-23231 .

• • • Highlighted in a Commentary (Gomulkiewicz, R. 2019. Male mating displays can evolve from exploitative origins to cooperative endings. PNAS. 116:22899-22900 )

    • media coverage by: Phys.org, Newswise, Science Daily, Mother Nature Network, Inverse and others

    • Good - Faculty of 1000 Prime. 30 October 2019. 

*Yang, Y., M.R. Servedio, and C.L. Richards-Zawacki.  2019.  Imprinting sets the stage for speciation.  Nature 574:99-102.

• • • Cover article

    • Highlighted in a News and Views (Verzijden MN. 2019. Leapfrog to speciation boosted by mother’s influence. Nature 574: 38-39) and the Nature Podcast (Leapfrogging speciation, and migrating mosquitos, 10/2/19).

    • media coverage by: Le Monde, Phys.org, Science Daily

†Alonzo, S.H. and †M.R. Servedio.  2019.  Grey zones of sexual selection: why is finding a modern definition so hard?  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 286:20191325. (8 pgs.)

Richards, E.J., M.R. Servedio, and C.H. Martin.  2019.  New criteria for sympatric speciation in the genomic era.  BioEssays 41:190004. (10 pgs.)

*Snow, S.S., S.H. Alonzo, M.R. Servedio, and R.O. Prum.  2019.  Female resistance to sexual coercion can evolve to preserve the indirect benefits of mate choice.  Journal of Evolutionary Biology 32:545-558.

Fitzpatrick, C.L., T.C. Mendelson, R.L. Rodriguez, R.J. Safran, E.C. Scordato, M.R. Servedio, C.A. Stern, L. Symes, and M. Kopp.  2018.  Theory meets empiry: a citation network analysis. BioScience 68:805-812.

• • • Very Good - Faculty of 1000 Prime. 7 December 2018. 

Skovmand L.H., C.C. Xu, M.R. Servedio, P. Nosil, R. Barrett, and A.P. Hendry.  2018. Keystone genes, and other ecologically important genes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 33:689-700.

*Yeh, D.J., J.W. Boughman, G-P. Sætre and M.R. Servedio.  2018.  The evolution of sexual imprinting through reinforcement.  Evolution 72:1336-1349. 

Fitzpatrick, C.L. and M.R. Servedio.  2018.  The evolution of male mate choice and female ornamentation; a review of mathematical models.   Current Zoology 64:323-333.

• • • Very Good - Faculty of 1000 Prime. 23 August 2019. . 

Servedio, M.R. and R. Bürger.  2018. The effects of parapatric divergence of linkage between preference and trait loci versus pleiotropy.  Genes 9:217.  (17 pgs).

• • • Invited paper for a special issue

*Dhole, S., *C.A. Stern, and M.R. Servedio.  2018.  Direct detection of male quality can facilitate the evolution of male choosiness and indicators of good genes: evolution across a continuum of indicator mechanisms.  Evolution 72:770-784.

*Lyu, N., M.R. Servedio, and Y-H. Sun.  2018.  Non-adaptive female pursuit of extra-pair copulations can evolve through hitchhiking. Ecology and Evolution 8: 3685-3692.

†Kopp, M, †M.R. Servedio, T.C. Mendelson, R.J. Safran. R.L. Rodriguez, E.C. Scordato, L.B. Symes, C.N. Balakrishnan, M.E. Hauber, D. M. Zonana, and S.G. van Doorn.  2018.  Mechanisms of assortative mating in speciation: connecting theory and empirical research. The American Naturalist.  191:1-20.

Servedio, M.R. and J.W. Boughman.  2017.  The role of sexual selection in local adaptation and speciation. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 48:85-109.

*Cotto, O. and M.R. Servedio. 2017. The roles of sexual and viability selection in the evolution of incomplete reproductive isolation: from allopatry to sympatry.  The American Naturalist 190:680-693.

*Stern, C.A and M.R. Servedio.  2017.  Evolution of a mating preference for a dual-utility trait used in intrasexual competition in genetically monogamous popluations. Ecology and Evolution 7:8008-8016.

• • • media coverage by: Phys.org, AAAS’s EurekAlert and others: “Birds choose mates with ornamental traits” 

*Lyu, N., M.R. Servedio. H. Lloyd, and Y-H. Sun. 2017. The evolution of post-pairing male mate choice. Evolution 71:1465-1477.

*Fitzpatrick, C.L. and M.R. Servedio. 2017. Male mate choice, male quality, and the potential for sexual selection on female traits under polygyny. Evolution 71:174-183.

Rettelbach, A., M.R. Servedio, and J. Hermisson. 2016. Speciation in peripheral populations: effects of drift load and mating systems. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 29:1073-1090.

Servedio, M.R. 2016. Geography, assortative mating, and the effects of sexual selection on speciation with gene flow. Evolutionary Applications. Evolutionary Applications 9:91-102. 

• • • Invited paper for a special issue on "Women's contribution to basic and applied evolutionary biology".

Dhole, S* and M.R. Servedio.  2016.  Mate choice and sexually selected traits. In Kliman, R.M. (ed.) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Biology, vol. 2, pp. 440-445. Oxford: Academic Press

Servedio, M.R. and R. Bürger. 2015. The effects of sexual selection on trait divergence in a peripheral population with gene flow. Evolution 69:2648-2661.

*Yeh, D.J. and M.R. Servedio. 2015. Reproductive isolation with a learned trait in a structured population. Evolution 69:1938-1947.

Barton, N.H. and M.R. Servedio. 2015. The interpretation of selection coefficients. Evolution 69:1101-1112.

Servedio, M.R.  2015. Advances on the interplay of learning and sexual selection (Editorial).  Current Zoology 61:1004-1007.

Fitzpatrick, C.L. and M.R. Servedio.  2015. The multiple components of mate choice: a comment on Edward and Dougherty and Shuker.  Behavioral Ecology 26:321-322.

Servedio, M.R., Y. Brandvain, *S. Dhole, C.L. Fitzpatrick, E.E. Goldberg, *C.A. Stern, J. Van Cleve, *D.J. Yeh.  2014.  Not just a theory–the utility of mathematical models in evolutionary biology.  PLoS Biology 12:e1002017.

• • • Very Good - Faculty of 1000, 12 December 2014.2014.

*Dhole, S. and M.R. Servedio.  2014.  Sperm competition and evolution of seminal fluid composition.  Evolution 68:3008-3019.

Servedio, M.R. and R. Bürger. 2014.  The counterintuitive role of sexual selection in species maintenance and speciation.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, USA 111:8113-8118.

McKinnon, J.S. and M.R. Servedio.  2013.  Novelty makes the hearth grow fonder (News and Views).  Nature 503:44-45.

Pfennig, D.W. and M.R. Servedio.  2013.  The role of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in diversification and speciation.  Non-Genetic Inheritance 1:17-26

• • • Invited review

Servedio, M.R. and R. Dukas.  2013.  Effects on population divergence of within-generational learning about prospective mates.  Evolution 67:2363-2375.

Verzijden, M.N., C. ten Cate, M.R. Servedio, G. Kozak, J.W. Boughman, and E.I. Svensson. 2013. The impact of learned mating traits on speciation is not yet clear.  Response to Kawecki. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 28:69-70.

Servedio, M.R.  T. Price and R. Lande.  2013.  Evolution of displays within the pair bond.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 280:20123020.

• • • media coverage by: LiveScience “Public displays of affection may have evolutionary benefits

    • Science Life “Shaking a Tail Feather for the Good of the Brood"

Verzijden, M.N., C. ten Cate, M.R. Servedio, G. Kozak, J.W. Boughman, and E. Svensson.  2013.  The impact of learned mating preferences on speciation is not yet clear: response to Kawecki.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 28:67-70.

Servedio, M.R., J. Hermisson and G.S. van Doorn. 2013. Hybridization may rarely promote speciation (Commentary).  Journal of Evolutionary Biology 26:282-285. 

†South, S.H., Arnqvuist, G., and †M.R. Servedio.  2012.  Female preference for male courtship effort can drive the evolution of male mate choice.  Evolution 66:3722-3735.

Verzijden, M.N., C. ten Cate, M.R. Servedio, G. Kozak, J.W. Boughman, and E. Svensson.  2012.  Learning, sexual selection and speciation.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 27:511-519.

*Frame, A.M. and M.R. Servedio.  2012.  The evolution of preference strength under sensory bias: a role for indirect selection.  Ecology and Evolution 2:1572-1583.

°Bergen, E.L., *J.T. Rowell, F. Gould, and M.R. Servedio.  2012. Stochasticity in sexual selection enables divergence: implications for moth pheromone evolution. Evolutionary Biology 39:271-281.

• • • Invited paper for a special issue

*Rowell, J.T. and M.R. Servedio.  2012. Vocal communications and the maintenance of population specific songs in a contact zone.  PLoS One 7:e35257.

Servedio, M.R. 2012. The relationship between sexual selection and speciation (Editorial).  Current Zoology 58:413-415.

• • • part of special column on Sexual Selection and Speciation

Servedio, M.R. and M. Kopp.  2012.  Sexual selection and magic traits in speciation with gene flow. Current Zoology 58:510-516.

• • • part of special column on Sexual Selection and Speciation, Opinion

Servedio, M.R., G.S. van Doorn, M. Kopp, *A. Frame and P. Nosil.  2012.  Magic traits, pleiotropy and effect sizes: a response to Haller et al. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 27:5-6.

Servedio, M.R., †G.S. van Doorn, †M. Kopp, *A. Frame and P. Nosil.  2011.  Magic traits in speciation: ‘magic’ but not rare?  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 26: 389-397.

*†Olofsson, H., *†A.M. Frame and M.R. Servedio.  2011.  Can reinforcement occur with a learned trait?  Evolution 65:1992-2003.

Servedio, M.R.  2011.  Limits to the evolution of assortative mating by female choice under restricted gene flow.  Proceeding of the Royal Society of London Series B 278:179-187.

Servedio, M.R.  2010.  Isolating mechanisms and speciation.  In Breed, M.D. and J. Moore (eds).  Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, vol. 2.  pp. 230-235.  Academic Press, Oxford.

Proulx, S.R and M.R. Servedio. 2009.  Dissecting selection on female mating preferences during secondary contact.  Evolution 63:2031-2046.

Servedio, M.R., S.A. Sæther and G.-P. Sætre.  2009.  Reinforcement and learning. Evolutionary Ecology 23:109-123.

• • • Invited paper for symposium edition. 

Servedio, M.R.  2009.  The role of linkage disequilibrium in the evolution of premating isolation. Heredity 102:51-56.

• • • Invited paper for special issue.

*Rowell, J.T. and M.R. Servedio.  2009.  Gentlemen prefer blondes: the evolution of mate preference among strategically allocated males.  The American Naturalist 173:12-25.

Otto, S.P., M.R. Servedio, and S. Nuismer.  2008.  Frequency-dependent selection and the evolution of assortative mating. Genetics 179:2091-2112.

°Tramm, N.A. and M.R. Servedio.  2008.  Evolution of mate-choice imprinting: competing strategies. Evolution 62:1991-2003.

*Olofsson, H. and M.R. Servedio.  2008.  Sympatry affects the evolution of genetic versus cultural determination of song. Behavioral Ecology 19:594-604.

Servedio, M.R.  2007.  Male versus female mate choice: sexual selection and the evolution of species recognition via reinforcement. Evolution 61:2772-2789.

*Chunco, A.J., J.S. McKinnon and M.R. Servedio. 2007. Microhabitat variation and sexual selection can maintain male color polymorphisms.  Evolution 61:2504-2515. 

Sæther, S.A., G.-P. Sætre, T. Borge, C. Wiley, N. Svedin, G. Andersson, T. Veen, J. Haavie, M.R. Servedio, S. Bureš, M. Král, M.B. Hjernquist, L. Gustafsson, J. Träff, A. Qvarnström.  2007.  Sex chromosome-linked species recognition and evolution of reproductive isolation in flycatchers.  Science 318:95-97.

• • • Covered in a Perspective: Ritchie, M.G.  2007.  Feathers, females, and fathers.  Science 318:54-55,

    • Must Read - Faculty of 1000. 6 November 2007. 

†*Lorch, P.D. and †M.R. Servedio.  2007.  The evolution of conspecific gamete precedence and its effect on reinforcement.  Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20:937-949.

†Servedio, M.R. and †M.E. Hauber. 2006. To eject or abandon?  Life history traits of hosts and parasites interact to influence the fitness payoffs of alternative antiparasite strategies.  Journal of Evolutionary Biology 19:1585-1594.

Servedio, M.R. and R. Lande.  2006.  Population genetic models of male and mutual mate choice.  Evolution 60:674-685. 

*Verzijden M.N., *Lachlan, R.F. and M.R. Servedio.  2005.  Female mate choice behavior and sympatric speciation.  Evolution 59:2097-2108.

*Lorch, P.D. and M.R. Servedio.  2005.  Postmating-prezygotic isolation is not an important source of selection within and between species in Drosophila psuedoobscura and D. persimilis.  Evolution 59:1039-1045. 

Servedio, M.R.  2004.  The what and why of research of reinforcement.  PLoS Biology 2:e420 (2032-2035).

*Lachlan, R.F. and M.R. Servedio.  2004.  Song learning accelerates allopatric speciation. Evolution 58:2049-2063. 

Servedio, M.R.  2004.  The evolution of premating isolation: local adaptation and natural and sexual selection against hybrids. Evolution 58:913-924.

• • • Recommended - Faculty of 1000. 14 June 2004. 

Servedio, M.R. and M.A.F. Noor.  2003.  The role of reinforcement in speciation:  theory and data meet. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 34:339-364.

Servedio, M.R. and G.-P. Sætre.  2003.  Speciation as a positive feedback loop between post- and prezygotic barriers to gene flow. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 270:1473-1479.

Servedio, M.R. and R. Lande.  2003.  Coevolution of an avian host and its parasitic cuckoo.  Evolution 57:1164-1175. 

Kingsolver, J.G., D.W. Pfennig and M.R. Servedio.  2002. Migration, local adaptation and the evolution of plasticity.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 17:540-541.

Servedio, M.R.  2001.  Beyond reinforcement: the evolution of premating isolation by direct selection on preferences and postmating, prezygotic incompatibilities.  Evolution 55:1909-1920.

Servedio, M.R.  2000.  The effects of predator learning, forgetting, and recognition errors on the evolution of warning coloration. Evolution 54:751-763.

Servedio, M.R.  2000.  Reinforcement and the genetics of nonrandom mating.  Evolution. 54:21-29. 

Wiens, J.J. and M.R. Servedio.  2000.  Species delimitation in systematics: inferring "fixed" diagnostic differences between species.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B.  267(1444):631-636.

• • • Editor’s Choice, Science.  28 April 2000.  288(5466):577.

Rosenthal, G.G. and M.R. Servedio.  1999.  Chase away sexual selection: resistance to “resistance”.  Evolution (Comments)  53:296-299.

Kirkpatrick, M. and M.R. Servedio.  1999.  The reinforcement of mating preferences on an island.  Genetics 151:865-884.

Wiens, J.J. and M.R. Servedio.  1998.  Phylogenetic analysis and intraspecific variation:  performance of parsimony, likelihood and distance methods.  Systematic Biology 47:228-253.

Servedio, M.R. and M. Kirkpatrick.  1997.  The effects of gene flow on reinforcement.  Evolution 51:1764-1772. 

Wiens, J.J. and M.R. Servedio.  1997.  Accuracy of phylogenetic analysis including and excluding polymorphic characters.  Systematic Biology 46(2):332-345.

Servedio, M.R. and M. Kirkpatrick.  1996.  The evolution of mate choice copying by indirect selection.  The American Naturalist 148:848-867.

* indicates postdoc, graduate student, or visiting graduate student in the Servedio lab

° indicates undergraduate in the Servedio lab

      † both authors contributed equally to this paper