msoren@bu.edu

Genetics Animal Behavior Ecology and Conservation Biology Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Molecular Ecology and Evolution

Associate Professor of Biology
Ph.D., Univ. of Minnesota ,1990

Avian Behavioral Ecology, Population Genetics, and Molecular Systematics

Much of my research is motivated by the general goal of understanding the evolution of behavioral adaptations in birds. An effort to integrate analyses of both ultimate questions (function and phylogenetic history) and proximate questions (causation and ontogeny) has led me to utilize a variety of methodological approaches in both field and laboratory.

My current research emphasizes molecular genetic approaches to problems in avian systematics, population biology, and behavioral ecology. Avian brood parasitism spurred my interest in evolutionary biology as a student and parasitic birds have continued to be the focus of most of my research to date. Current research projects include: 1) Analyses of the population structure and evolutionary history of indigobird populations and species. Indigobirds are species-specific brood parasites of a number of estrildid finch hosts and have evolved nestling mouth markings that mimic those of the host. Parasitic nestlings also learn host songs and adult male parasites incorporate these songs into their courtship displays, resulting in assortative mating among parasites reared by the same host species. We are exploring the evolutionary history and population genetic consequences of this unique social system using mitochondrial DNA sequences and a variety of nuclear genetic markers, including microsatellites, intron sequences and AFLPs. 2) Systematic relationships of avian brood parasites and their hosts. How many times has obligate brood parasitism evolved in birds, what are the relative ages of the various parasitic lineages, and how is each group of parasitic birds related to their hosts? 3) Molecular systematics of the waterfowl (Family Anatidae: the ducks, geese, and swans). Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences have led to a number of unexpected results that conflict with a recent comprehensive analysis based on morphological characters. I am using the waterfowl data to address issues in phylogenetic analysis and to examine the evolution of social behavior in this group. Students in my lab have worked on fish, bats, ants, and other birds, addressing a variety of questions in molecular ecology and systematics.

For more information on Mike Sorenson's research, visit his personal website at http://people.bu.edu/msoren.

Njabo, K.Y., R.C.K. Bowie & M.D. Sorenson. 2008. Phylogeny, biogeography and taxonomy of the African wattle-eyes (Aves: Passeriformes: Platysteiridae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (in press).

Brown, J.W., J.S. Rest, J. García-Moreno, M.D. Sorenson & D.P. Mindell. 2008. Strong mitochondrial DNA support for a Cretaceous origin of modern avian lineages. BMC Biology (in press). "Highly Accessed"

Balakrishnan, C.N. & M.D. Sorenson. 2007. Dispersal ecology versus host specialization as determinants of ectoparasite distribution in brood parasitic indigobirds and their estrildid finch hosts. Molecular Ecology 16: 217-229.

Balakrishnan, C.N. & M.D. Sorenson. 2006. Premating reproductive isolation among sympatric indigobird species and host races. Behavioral Ecology 17: 473-478.

Edwards, S.V., S.B. Kingan, J.D. Calkins, C.N. Balakrishnan, W.B. Jennings, W.J. Swanson & M.D. Sorenson. 2005. Speciation in birds: genes, geography, and sexual selection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 102: 6550-6557.

Sefc, K.M., R.B. Payne & M.D. Sorenson. 2005. Genetic continuity of brood parasitic indigobird species in space and time. Molecular Ecology 14: 1407-1419.

Sorenson, M.D. & R.B. Payne. 2005. A molecular genetic analysis of cuckoo phylogeny.   Pp. 68-94 in R.B. Payne. Bird Families of the World: Cuckoos . Oxford University Press.

McCracken, K.G. & M.D. Sorenson. 2005. Is homoplasy or lineage sorting the source of incongruent mtDNA and nuclear gene trees in the stiff-tailed ducks ( Nomonyx-Oxyur)? Systematic Biology 54: 35-55.

Sorenson, M.D., C.N. Balakrishnan & R.B. Payne. 2004. Clade-limited colonization in brood parasitic finches ( Vidua spp.). Systematic Biology 53: 140-153.

Sorenson, M.D., E. Oneal, J. García-Moreno & D.P. Mindell. 2003. More taxa, more characters: the hoatzin problem is still unresolved. Molecular Biology and Evolution 20: 1484-1499.

Sorenson, M.D., K.M. Sefc & R.B. Payne. 2003. Speciation by host switch in brood parasitic indigobirds. Nature 424: 928-931.

Sorenson, M.D. & R.B. Payne. 2002. Molecular genetic perspectives on avian brood parasitism. Integrative and Comparative Biology 142: 388-400.

Sorenson, M.D. & R.B. Payne. 2001. A single, ancient origin of obligate brood parasitism in African finches: implications for host-parasite coevolution. Evolution 55: 2550-2567.

Gibbs, H.L., M.D. Sorenson, K. Marchetti, M.L. Brooke, N. B. Davies & H. Nakamura. 2000. Genetic evidence for female host races of the common cuckoo. Nature 407: 183-186.

Questions and comments are always welcome.
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This document was last modified on February 14, 2008.