Karen Warkentin

Most of the research in the Warkentin lab examines developing organisms in ecological and evolutionary context. We focus on hatching as a critical life history transition, working with embryos that adaptively alter when they exit the egg capsule in response to cues of risk and opportunity. We integrate approaches from behavior, ecology, physiology, and developmental and evolutionary biology to better understand embryos, and use embryos to address general questions in animal behavior. We combine biology and mechanical engineering to design devices enabling new kinds of experiments in embryo behavior.

We work in the Neotropics on red-eyed treefrogs, hourglass treefrogs, and glassfrogs –representing three lineages of frogs that independently evolved arboreal eggs and retained aquatic tadpoles – and on foam-nesting frogs that vary in the terrestriality of their eggs. Our work addresses ecology, evolution, and mechanisms of plasticity, interactions of embryos with predators and parents, and developmental changes in embryo behavior.

Prof. Warkentin is also working toward a better understanding of sexual diversity by synthesizing perspectives from developmental and evolutionary biology.