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Lovette, Irby
Associate Professor and Director of the Fuller Evolutionary Biology Program, and Associate Director for Academic Affairs, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology
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Positions
- Associate Professor, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO)
- Associate Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
- Dir Assoc Acad, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO)
Research Areas
- apiculture
- biodiversity
- ecology
- ecosystem biology
- entomology
- evolution
- genetics
- genomics
- molecular biology
- natural resources
- new life sciences
- ornithology
- zoology
- Affiliations
- Extension
- Research
- Publications
- Teaching
- Service
- Background
- Other
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Affiliations
member of graduate field
other Cornell affiliations
advisory group member
Extension
has primary specialization area
Research
research overview
- Evolution, Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation of birds and other organisms
research activities
principal investigator on
- TESTING THE ECOLOGICAL DRIVERS AND PHYLOGENETIC COMPONENTS OF DIVERSIFICATION IN A MAJOR CONTINENTAL VERTEBRATE RADIATION awarded by NATL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 2008 - 2012
- TWO STRANGE SPARROWS IN A SEA OF GRASS: THE EVOLUTION OF COMPLEX BREEDING DISPLAY IN A HIGH GENE FLOW ENVIRONMENT awarded by THE SOCIETY FOR SYSTEMATIC BIOLOGISTS 2011 - 2014
co-principal investigator on
- COMMUNITY DYNAMICS OF AN EMERGENT PATHOGEN: INTRINSIC VERSUS EXTRINSIC MECHANISMS awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2006 - 2013
- PIRE: GOLONDRINAS DE LAS AMERICAS: INTEGRATED PAN-AMERICAN RESEARCH AND TRAINING IN ORGANISMS AND ENVIRONMENTS awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2007 - 2013
area(s) of concentration/expertise
keywords
- Behavioral Ecology
- Conservation
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
- Ornithology
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Going to Extremes: Contrasting Rates of Diversification in a Recent Radiation of New World Passerine Birds. Systematic Biology. 62:298-320. 2013
- Ancestry and evolution of seasonal migration in the Parulidae.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 279:610-618. 2012
- Clock Gene Variation in Tachycineta Swallows. Ecology and Evolution. 2:95-105. 2012
- Fifty-third supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds.. Auk. 129. 2012
- Mating opportunities, paternity, and sexual conflict: parental care in northern and southern house wrens. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 66:253-260. 2012
- Mind the gap: genetic distance increases with habitat gap size in Florida Scrub Jays.. Biology Letters. 8:582-585. 2012
- Phylogenetic relationships of the mockingbirds and thrashers (Aves: Mimidae).. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63:219-29. 2012
- Phylogeny of the Tachycineta genus of New World swallows: Insights from complete mitochondrial genomes.. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 63:64-71. 2012
- Population genetics and morphological comparisons of migratory European (Hirundo rustica rustica) and sedentary East-Mediterranean (H. r. transitiva) Barn Swallows.. Journal of Heredity. 103:55-63. 2012
- Recent speciation in sympatric Tanganyikan cichlid color-morphs. Molecular Ecology. 21:3283-3292. 2012
- Species trees for the tree swallows (Genus Tachycineta): an alternative phylogenetic hypothesis to the mitochondrial gene tree.. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 65:317-322. 2012
- To pluck or not to pluck: Scientific methodologies should be carefully chosen, not ‘one size fits all.’. Journal of Avian Biology. 43:15-17. 2012
- Ancient islands and modern invasions: Disparate phylogeographic histories among Hispaniola's endemic birds.. Molecular Ecology. 20:5012-5024. 2011
- Contemporary and historical species interactions mediate phylogenetic community structure in a hyper-diverse lizard assemblage from arid Australia.. American Naturalist. 178:579-595. 2011
- Fifty-second supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds.. Auk. 128:600-613. 2011
- Genetic monogamy across variable demographic landscapes in cooperatively breeding Florida scrub-jays. . Behavioral Ecology. 22:464-470. 2011
- Heterozygosity and fitness benefits of extrapair mate choice in White-rumped Swallows (Tachycineta leucorrhoa).. Behavioral Ecology. 22:1178-1186. 2011
- Infrequent extra-pair paternity in banded wrens Thryothorus pleurostictus, synchronously-breeding tropical passerines. Condor. 113:637-645. 2011
- Low variation in the polymorphic clock gene poly-Q region despite population genetic structure across Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) populations. . PLoS One. 6. 2011
- Mating opportunities, paternity, and sexual conflict: Paternal care in Northern and Southern temperate House Wrens. . Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 66:253-260. 2011
- Population Genetics of a Recent Transcontinental Colonization of South America by Breeding Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). The Auk. 128:506-513. 2011
- Population genetics of the recent transcontinental colonization of South America by breeding Barn Swallows.. Auk. 128:506-513. 2011
- The sexual signals of the East-Mediterranean Barn Swallow: A different swallow tale.. Behavioral Ecology. 22:1344-1352. 2011
- Using ancient DNA to characterize historical hybridization between Baltimore (Icterus galbula) and Bullock’s (Icterus bullockii) Orioles.. Auk. 128:61-68. 2011
- A comprehensive multilocus phylogeny for the Wood-Warblers and a revised classification of the Parulidae (Aves).. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57:753-770. 2010
- Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Effective Dispersal of Florida Scrub-Jays . Conservation Biology. 24:1080-1088. 2010
- Fifty-first supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-List of North American Birds.. Auk. 127:726-744. 2010
- Historical divergence and gene flow: Coalescent analyses of mitochondrial, autosomal, and sex-linked loci in Passerina buntings. Evolution. 64:1762-1772. 2010
- Phylogeny of the Genus Hirundo and the Barn Swallow Subspecies Complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 56:409-418. 2010
- Phylogeography and conservation of the endemic Hispaniolan Palm-Tanagers (Aves: Phaenicophilus). Conservation Genetics. 11:2121-2129. 2010
- Population genetics of migratory European (Hirundo rustica rustica) and sedentary East-Mediterranean (H. r. transitiva) Barn Swallows.. Molecular Ecology. 103:55-63. 2010
- Synchrony does not explain extra-pair paternity rate variation in Northern or Southern House Wrens.. Behavioral Ecology. 21:773-780. 2010
- An intergeneric wood-warbler hybrid (Mniotilta varia x Dendroica coronata) and the use of multilocus DNA analyses to diagnose avian hybrid origins. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 121:298-305. 2009
- Climatic patterns predict the elaboration of song displays in mockingbirds. Current Biology. 19:1151-1155. 2009
- Disease-mediated inbreeding depression in a large, open population of cooperative crows. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 276:2057-2064. 2009
- Extensive range-wide mitochondrial introgression indicates substantial cryptic hybridization in the Golden-winged Warbler.. Avian Conservation and Ecology - Ecologie et conservation des oiseaux. 4:4. 2009
- Fiftieth supplement of the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. . Auk. 126:705-714. 2009
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from the acacia-ant Crematogaster mimosae. Molecular Ecology Resources. 9:1212-1214. 2009
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from three species of swallows in the genus Tachycineta: T. albilinea, T. bicolor and T. leucorrhoa. Plant Signaling and Behavior. 9:631-635. 2009
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from three species of swallows in the genus Tachycineta: T. albilinea, T. bicolor and T. leucorrhoa.. Molecular Ecology Resources. 9:631-635. 2009
- Molecular evidence for hybridization and cryptic species in the Australian fourteen-lined skink, Ctenotus quattuordecimlineatus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 53:368-377. 2009
- Problems detecting density-dependent diversification on phylogenies: Reply to Bokma. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 278:995-997. 2009
- Reproductive partitioning and the assumptions of reproductive skew models in the cooperatively breeding American Crow. Animal Behavior. 77:503-512. 2009
- Reproductive skew and selection on female ornamentation in social species. Nature. 462:786-790. 2009
- Subtle edge-of-range genetic structuring in transcontinentally distributed North American Tree Swallows. Condor. 111:470-478. 2009
- Syllable type consistency is related to age, social status, and reproductive success in the tropical mockingbird. Animal Behaviour. 77:701-706. 2009
- A complete species-level molecular phylogeny for the "Eurasian" starlings (Sturnidae: Sturnus, Acridotheres, and allies): Recent diversification in a highly social and dispersive avian group. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 47:251-260. 2008
- Congruent population structure inferred from dispersal behaviour and intensive genetic surveys of the threatened Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). Molecular Ecology. 17:1685-1701. 2008
- Convergent Evolution: Raising a family from the dead. Current Biology. 18. 2008
- Density-dependent diversification in North American wood-warblers. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 275:2363-2371. 2008
- Eggshell-color polymorphism in brood parasitic shiny cowbirds (Molothrus bonariensis) is not linked to the female sex chromosome. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 62:1193-1199. 2008
- Experimental evidence for extreme dispersal limitation in tropical forest birds. Ecology Letters. 11:960-968. 2008
- Explosive evolutionary radiations: decreasing speciation or increasing extinction through time?. Evolution. 62:1866-1875. 2008
- Forty-eighth supplement to the American Ornithologists’ Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk. 124:1109-1115. 2008
- Fourty-ninth supplement to the American Ornithologists' Union Check-list of North American Birds. Auk. 125:756-766. 2008
- Homogeneous genetic structuring and microsatellite allele diversities across White-ruffed Manakin (Corapipo altera) populations in a highly fragmented Costa Rica landscape. Conservation Genetics. 9:1403-1412. 2008
- Isolation and characterization of SNP variation at 90 anonymous loci in the banded wren (Thryothorus pleurostictus). Conservation Genetics. 9:1657-1660. 2008
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from the White-ruffed Manakin, Corapipo altera (Aves, Pipridae). Molecular Ecology Resources. 8:215-218. 2008
- Phylogenetic and ecological effects on interspecific variation in structurally simple avian vocalizations. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 94:155-173. 2008
- Reconciling molecular signatures across markers: Mitochondrial DNA confirms founder effect in invasive North American house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). Conservation Genetics. 9:637-643. 2008
- Weak genetic structuring indicates ongoing gene flow across White-ruffed Manakin (Corapipo altera) populations in a highly fragmented Costa Rica landscape. Conservation Genetics. 9:1403-1412. 2008
- A comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the starlings (Aves: Sturnidae) and mockingbirds (Aves: Mimidae): Congruent mtDNA and nuclear trees for a cosmopolitan avian radiation. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 44:1031-1056. 2007
- Ancient differentiation in the single-island avian radiation of endemic Hispaniolan chat-tanagers (Aves: Calyptophilus). Molecular Ecology. 17:3634-3642. 2007
- Complex hybridization dynamics between golden-winged and blue-winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera and V. pinus) revealed by AFLP, microsatellite, intron and mtDNA markers. Molecular Ecology. 16:2017-2029. 2007
- Eleven microsatellite loci isolated from the Banded Wren (Thryothorus pleurostictus). Molecular Ecology Notes. 7:69-71. 2007
- Exceptional among-lineage variation in diversification rates during the radiation of Australia’s most diverse vertebrate clade.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 274:2915-2923. 2007
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in a cooperatively breeding corvid, the American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Molecular Ecology Notes. 7:46-48. 2007
- Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers from the Chestnut-backed Antbird (Myrmeciza exsul). Molecular Ecology Notes. 7:1070-1072. 2007
- Partial host fidelity in nest selection by the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), a highly generalist avian brood parasite. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 20:1918-1923. 2007
- Temporal environmental unpredictability drives the evolution of cooperative breeding in birds. Current Biology. 17:1414-1419. 2007
- A comparison of plucked feathers versus blood samples as DNA sources for molecular sexing. Journal of Field Ornithology. 77:136-140. 2006
- Avian host DNA isolated and analyzed from the feces of white-winged vampire bats (Diaemus youngi). Acta Chiropterologica. 8:255-258. 2006
- Continent-wide surveys demonstrate simultaneous effects of phylogenetic niche conservatism and competition on avian community structure. Ecology. 87. 2006
- Elevational zonation and the phylogenetic relationships of the Henicorhina wood-wrens. Auk. 123:119-134. 2006
- Elevational zonation and the phylogenetic relationships of the Henicorhina wood-wrens . Auk. 123:119-134. 2006
- Fledgling provisioning by the brood-parasitic cuckoos Chrysococcyx klaas and C. caprius. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 118:99-101. 2006
- Male tail streamer length does not predict within-pair paternity or other measures of reproductive success in North American Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica erythrogaster. Journal of Avian Biology. 38:28-36. 2006
- Molecular evidence for a founder effect in invasive house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) populations experiencing and emergent disease epidemic. Molecular Ecology. 15:263-275. 2006
- Phylogeographic structuring of Plasmodium lineages across the North American range of the House finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). Journal of Parasitology. 92:1043-1049. 2006
- Strong phylogenetic effects in avian communities are mediated by foraging niche differentiation. Ecology. 87. 2006
- Dynamic paternity allocation as a function of male plumage color in Barn Swallows. Science. 309:2210-2212. 2005
- Flight call frequency variation in Wood-warblers is not driven by body mass or bill length. Journal of Avian Biology. 36:337-347. 2005
- Geographic variability in mitochondrial introgression among hybridizing populations of Golden-winged (Vermivora chrysoptera) and Blue-winged (V. opinus) Warblers. Conservation Genetics. 6:843-853. 2005
- Glacial cycles and the tempo of avian speciation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 20:57-59. 2005
- High lineage diversity and host sharing of malarial parasites in a local avian assemblage. Journal of Parasitology. 91:768-774. 2005
- Phylogenetic affinities and inter-island differentiation in the Vitelline Warbler Dendroica vitellina, a West Indian endemic. Ibis. 147:764-771. 2005
- Evolutionary variation in feather waxes of passerine birds. Auk. 121:435-445. 2004
- Isolation and characterization of twelve microsatellite loci from Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) with broad cross-taxon utility in emberizine songbirds. Molecular Ecology Notes. 4:602-604. 2004
- Limited utility of mtDNA markers for determining connectivity among breeding and overwintering locations in three Neotropical migrant birds. Conservation Biology. 18:156-166. 2004
- Mitochondrial dating and mixed support for the “2% Rule” in birds. Auk. 121:1-6. 2004
- Molecular phylogeny and plumage signal evolution in a trans Andean and circum Amazonian avian species complex. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 32:512-523. 2004
- Noninvasive identification of the avian host species of white-winged vampire bats (Diaemus youngi) from fecal samples.. Bat Research News. 45:210-211. 2004
- A call for feather sampling.. Auk. 120:218-221. 2003
- Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography of the Bay Wren (Troglodytidae: Thryothorus nigricapillus) complex. Condor. 105:228-238. 2003
- Molecular evolution of three avian neurotrophin genes: Implications for proregion functional constraints. Journal of Molecular Evolution. 57:335-342. 2003
- Stable isotopes as indicators of altitudinal distributions and movements in an Ecuadorean hummingbird community. Oecologia. 136:302-308. 2003
- Phylogeographical approaches to assessing demographic connectivity between breeding and overwintering regions in a Nearctic-Neotropical warbler (Wilsonia pusilla). Molecular Ecology. 9:1605-1616. 2002
- What is a wood-warbler? A molecular characterization of a monophyletic Parulidae. Auk. 119:695-714. 2002
- Clade-specific morphological diversification and adaptive radiation in Hawaiian songbirds. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 269:37-42. 2001
- Mitochondrial perspecitive on the phylogenetic relationships of Parula wood-warblers. Auk. 118:211-215. 2001
- C-mos variation in songbirds: Molecular evolution, phylogenetic implications, and comparisons with mitochondrial differentiation. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 17:1569-1577. 2000
- The imprint of history on two warbler adaptive radiations. American Naturalist. 156:354-367. 2000
- Explosive speciation in the New World Dendroica warblers. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 266:1629-1636. 1999
- Mitochondrial DNA phylogeography and the conservation of endangered Lesser Antillean Icterus Orioles. Conservation Biology. 13:1088-1096. 1999
- Mitochondrial RFLP and sequence variation among closely related avian species and the genetic characterization of hybrid Dendroica warblers. Molecular Ecology. 8:1431-1441. 1999
- The assembly of an island fauna by natural invasion: Sources and temporal patterns in the avian colonization of Barbados. Biological Invasions. 1:33-41. 1999
- The roles of island area per se and habitat diversity in the species-area relationships of four Lesser Antillean faunal groups. Journal of Animal Ecology. 68:1142-1160. 1999
- Range disjunction and evolutionary differentiation in West Indian Dendroica warblers. Auk. 115:890-903. 1998
- Foraging behavior of American Redstarts in breeding and wintering habitats: Implications for relative food availability. Condor. 97:782-791. 1995
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article
- New Perspectives on an Ancient Disease: DNA studies provide insights on the evolution of avian malaria and reveal that the disease is widespread among the birds in our own backyards 2005
- New and Noteworthy Science: Around the World in 46 Days. Irby Lovette describes an innovative study of the amazing travels of southern albatrosses 2005
- New and Noteworthy Science: Did Modern Birds Coexist with Dinosaurs? Evolutionary Biology Program Director, Irby Lovette, explains the importance of a newly discovered ducklike fossil 2005
- New and Noteworthy Science: Kinglet Buddies 2005
- A tree for the birds 2004
- New and Noteworthy Science: Wildflowers that keep out bees 2004
- Student training – a core mission 2004
- The chat mystery solved. 2003
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booksection
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conference paper
- Exceptional among-lineage variation in diversification rates during the radiation of Australia’s most diverse vertebrate clade. Proceedings of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences. 2915-2923. 2007
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document part
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review
- Review of "Birds of the Cayman Islands". 1213-1214. 2003
featured in archived article
- Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates offers rare glimpses into past to study the present
- Forest birds evolved in bursts, DNA shows
- Incest can lead to more disease in offspring, Cornell crow study finds
- Uncertain rainy days make birds turn to family, Cornell study finds
- Uncertain rainy days make birds turn to family, Cornell study finds
Teaching
teaching overview
- I organize various courses in Ornithology, including a seminar held every semester that is open to both undergraduates and graduate students.
- I teach BioEE2650: Tropical Field Ecology and Animal Behavior, an experiential learning course held in Kenya during the Winter intersession.
- I teach regularly, as lead or contributing lecturer, in Cornell’s Evolutionary Biology course (BioEE2780) that is required for most Biology majors. Most recently I was the lead lecturer and overall course organizer for this class in Fall 2008 and Fall 2009.
teaching activities
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Spring 2013
- BIOEE-1250: Biology Seminar - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-7800: Graduate Seminar in Ornithology - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Fall 2012
- NTRES-7800: Graduate Seminar in Ornithology - Fall 2012
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Spring 2012
- BIOEE-1780: Evolutionary Biology and Diversity - Fall 2011
- BIOEE-8990: M.S. Thesis Research - Fall 2011
- BIOEE-9990: Ph.D. Dissertation Research - Fall 2011
Service
service to the profession
- American Ornithologists' Union Officer, Other Officer 2012 -
reviewer or editor for
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in Biology, University of Pennsylvania 1999
- B.A. in Biology, Dartmouth College 1992
awards and honors
Other
research keyword
- Behavioral Ecology
- Conservation
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
- Ornithology