|
|
Revised 20
November 2007 Thomas
Getty Professor Michigan State University EEBB, GK-12, CogSci, IGERT Programs; Quantitative Biology & Modeling
Initiative
|
|
My research is in the field of behavioral ecology. I focus on the role of information in
various aspects of the ecology & evolution of behavior, including:
sexual selection, social behavior, conflict & cooperation, predator-prey
interactions, habitat choice & the evolution of phenotypic plasticity. Many of these processes involve uncertainty & discrimination
problems. Natural selection
is a kind of discrimination. Most of my empirical work has been with birds,
mammals & insects; my students' projects have included birds, mammals,
insects, spiders, fish and plants. |
||
|
|
I have been working on
the foundations
of biological signaling theory.
This work
has important implications
for understanding
sexual selection on signals of health. |
|
|
|
I am working on a synthesis of kin-selection and signaling theory, to address a fundamental problem: How does
sexual signaling get established in
the first place? Theoretical models suggest a high barrier to the invasion of selfish signals & preferences. Kin selection can lower the
barrier. |
|
|
|
|
|
Interested in improving your teaching skills while
helping to address the
critical national need to improve K-12 science education? Check out our new NSF GK-12 Graduate Fellowship Program. Our
NSF IGERT Fellowship Program,
on cognitive models of sequential
decisions is winding down. |
|
|
Current students: Katie Wharton (PhD) is finishing up her thesis on cooperation, conflict and group decision-making in honeybees. Lindsey
Walters (PhD) is working on the behavioral ecology of house wrens. Eva Lewandowski (PhD) is working
on signaling between plants and their avian seed dispersers. Jean Johnson (PhD) is working on parental investment in house wrens. Andy Jacobs (MS) is working on a
professional master’s in Zoo & Aquarium Science. |
|
Past Students: Natalie Dubois did her PhD research on reproductive strategies in house
wrens; she is now on the staff at the AAAS. Rob Olendorf did his PhD research on social behavior in red-winged
blackbirds; he is currently on a postdoc at UIUC. Carl Kloock did his PhD research on aggressive mimicry in pirate
spiders; he is currently on the faculty at California State University
Bakersfield. Becky Fuller did her MS research on the mating system of rainbow
darters; she completed her PhD at FSU and is currently on the faculty at
UIUC. Jeff Birdsley did his PhD research on the evolution of specialized
foraging in flycatchers; he is currently working at the Sammy Institute for
Paternal-Offspring Relations. Donna Fitzstephens did her PhD research on signaling and social behavior in
damselflies; she is pursuing a career outside of academics. Judy Teeter Smith did her MS research on habitat selection in
sparrows; she pursued a career in environmental monitoring. |
|
|
Recent Publications: (please
email me to request pdf copies)
influences the regulation of colony
drone production. Behavioral Ecology in press.
Katie’s paper
was featured in Science News: Getty, T. 2006. In evolutionary games, enlightened
self-interests are still ultimately self-interests. Behavioral & Brain
Sciences 30:25-26. Getty,
T. 2006. Sexually selected signals are not similar to sports handicaps. TREE
21:83-88. Getty,
T. 2004. A kind man benefits himself - but how? Evolutionary models of human
food sharing. Behavioral & Brain Sciences 27 (4): 563+. Olendorf,
R., T. Getty, K. Scribner & S.K. Robinson. 2004. Male red-winged
blackbirds distrust unreliable and sexually attractive neighbours. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Olendorf,
R., T. Getty & K Scribner. 2004. Cooperative nest defence in Red-winged
Blackbirds: reciprocal altruism, kinship or by-product mutualism. Proceedings
of the Royal Society of Dubois,
N.A. & T. Getty. 2003. Empty Nests
do not affect female mate choice or maternal investment in house wrens.
Condor 105:386-391. (abstract) Getty,
T. 2003. A myopic view of sexual selections. TREE 18:108. Getty, T. 2002. Signaling health versus
parasites. American Naturalist.
159:363-371. (abstract) Getty,
T. 2002. The discriminating babbler meets the optimal-diet hawk. Anim Behav
63:397-402. Fitzstephens, D.M. & T. Getty. 2000. Color, fat
and social status in male damselflies, Calopteryx
maculata. Animal Behaviour 60:851-855. (a cute overview
from BBC Wildlife Magazine) Getty, T. 2000. A constrained view of constraints.
TREE 15:249. Getty, T. 1999. What do experimental studies tell
us about group selection in nature? American
Naturalist 154:596-598. Getty, T. 1999. Beauty and the Bart
Simpson effect. Nature 397:14-14. Getty, T. 1999. Chase away sexual selection as
noisy reliable signaling. Evolution 53:299-302. Getty, T. 1998. Handicap signalling: when viability
and fecundity do not add up. Animal Behaviour
56:127-130. Getty, T. 1998. Reliable signalling need not be a
handicap. Animal Behaviour
56:253-255. Rettig, J.E., R.C. Fuller, A.L. Corbett & T. Getty. 1997. Fluctuating asymmetry indicates levels of competition in an even-aged poplar clone. Oikos 80:123-127. Getty, T. 1997. Deception: The correct path to enlightenment? TREE 12:159-160. Committee
to Evaluate the |
|
My teaching
rotation includes Behavioral Ecology (ZOL
415) Spring semester. You can see what the course is like at: http://www.msu.edu/course/zol/415/getty/web07/zol415overview.pdf Honors Organismal Biology (BS148h) Fall semester. The class web page is at: http://www.msu.edu/course/lbs/148h/fall2007/entrance.pdf I am contributing to courses for our NSF-funded IGERT graduate student training program http://www.cogsci.msu.edu/IGERT/ I occasionally
contribute to Theory and Modeling in Behavioral Ecology (MTH490 sec431) as part of a program in Mathematical
Ecology at KBS (ELME - Enhancing the linkages between mathematics and
ecology), supported by the AW Mellon Foundation: http://www.msu.edu/course/mth/490/Getty/elme06syllabus.pdf
. |
|
|
“… My
larger goal is to
patch some cracks in the foundation …” (Getty
2002, pg 363). |
|
|
