BRIAN COYLE 

Email: bcoyle@umd.edu
Advisor: Dr. Borgia
Research: The main focus of my research is the evolution of sexual display traits in bowerbirds. Bowerbird males have a complex display which includes colorful plumage and the collection of colored objects for use in courtship. The reason for dramatic differences in display color preferences between species is unknown but may be related to underlying physiological differences in their visual systems. I am examining the bowerbird visual system to assess whether color preference differences between species may be due to divergence in their visual sensitivity (‘spectral tuning’). Part of my work involves sequencing the genes for opsin proteins of cone photopigments, which have evolved for color vision. Changes in the amino acid sequence of opsin proteins, which control light absorbance, can alter visual sensitivity. If spectral tuning is involved in the evolution of mate preference, I expect to find that visual sensitivity will correlate with display color in a comparative study of multiple species. Another component of my research examines interbreeding in bowerbird species. Bowerbird females have very specific display preferences and so large display differences between species could function as barriers to interbreeding. I expect that females will prefer the displays of conspecific mates over heterospecific displays.