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Webster, Mike
Cornell Faculty Member
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Positions
- Associate Professor, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO)
- Academic Director, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO)
- Associate Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior (BIO NB), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS)
Websites
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Affiliations
Extension
has primary specialization area
Research
research overview
- The evolution of reproductive strategies and sexual signals, primarily in birds.
research activities
principal investigator on
- COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH RUI: LTREB: BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESPONSES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2009 - 2013
- LTREB-RENEWAL: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RUI: BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC RESPONSES OF MIGRATORY BIRDS TO CLIMATE CHANGE awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2012 - 2017
- SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, HORMONES, AND ONTOGENETIC CARRY-OVER EFFECTS ON MALE REPRODUCTIVE PHENOTYPES IN A POLYMORPHIC BIRD awarded by DIRECTORATE FOR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES NSF 2009 - 2013
keywords
- Animal Behavior
- Animal Communication
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolution
- Ornithology
- Sexual Selection
- Sexual Signals
Publications
individual publications
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academic article
- Problems in using large-scale oceanic climate indices to compare climatic sensitivities across populations and species.. Ecography. 2013
- Spatial decoupling of song and plumage generates novel phenotypes between two avian subspecies.. Behavioral Ecology. 2013
- The role of ecological variation in driving divergence of sexual and non-sexual traits in the red-backed fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus).. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 13:75. 2013
- Warm springs, early lay dates, and double brooding in a North American migratory songbird, the black-throated blue warbler.. PLoS One. 8. 2013
- Body condition influences expression of sexual signals independent of circulating androgens.. General and Comparative Endocrinology. 183:38-43. 2012
- Extra-pair copulations reduce inbreeding for female red-backed fairy-wrens.. Animal Behaviour. 83:857-864. 2012
- Female red-backed fairy-wrens do not appear to pay a cost for high rates of sexual promiscuity.. Auk. 129:529-536. 2012
- Bill colouration, a flexible signal in a tropical passerine bird, is regulated by social environment and androgens. Animal Behaviour. 81:795-800. 2011
- Sexually selected male plumage color is testosterone dependent in a tropical passerine bird, the red-backed fairy-wren (Malurus melanocephalus). PLoS ONE. 6. 2011
- The opportunity for sexual selection: not mismeasured, just misunderstood.. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 24:2064-2071. 2011
- Asymmetric discrimination of geographical variation in song in a migratory passerine.. Animal Behaviour. 80:311-318. 2010
- Dealing with uncertainty: Flexible reproductive strategies by a tropical passerine bird in an unstable environment. Advances in the Study of Behavior. 42:123-153. 2010
- Genetic differentiation of argali sheep in Mongolia revealed by mitochondrial control of region and nuclear microsatellites analyses. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 106:38-44. 2010
- Molecular identification of brood parasitic females reveals an opportunistic strategy in ruddy ducks. Molecular Ecology. 19:401-413. 2010
- Offspring sex ratios reflect a lack of repayment by auxiliary males in a cooperatively breeding passerine. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 64:967-977. 2010
- Plumage coloration, ejaculate quality and reproductive phenotype in the red-backed fairy-wren. Animal Behaviour. 79:1239-1246. 2010
- Plumage colour acquisition and behaviour are associated with androgens in a phenotypically plastic tropical bird. Animal Behaviour. 77:1525-1532. 2009
- Review of "Integration of ecology and endocrinology in avian reproduction: a new synthesis". Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 121:453-454. 2009
- The relative importance of male tail length and nuptial plumage on social dominance and mate choice in the red-backed fairy-wren: evidence for the multiple receiver hypothesis. Journal of Avian Biology. 40:559-568. 2009
- Advances in sexual selection theory: Insights from tropical avifauna. Neotropical Ornithology. 19:731-740. 2008
- Colonization genetics of an animal-dispersed plant (Vaccinium membranaceum) at Mount St. Helens, Washington. Molecular Ecology. 17:731-740. 2008
- Conservation genetics of remnant Lilium philadelphicum populations in the Midwestern United States. American Midland Naturalist. 161:286-300. 2008
- Molecular genetic examination of the mating system of pumpkinseed sunfish reveals high pay offs for specialized sneakers. Molecular Ecology. 17:2310-2320. 2008
- Perspective: Extrapair paternity and sexual selection in tropical and temperate birds. The Auk. 125:769-777. 2008
- Phylogeography of a widespread North American migratory songbird (Setophaga ruticilla): isolation by distance and evidence for an Atlantic coastal shelf Pleistocene refugium. Journal of Heredity. 99:453-463. 2008
- Plumage color and reproduction in the red-backed fairy-wren: Why be a dull breeder?. Behavioral Ecology. 19:517-524. 2008
- The effects of plumage color on aggression and survival in male red-backed fairy-wrens. Behavioral Ecology. 19:508-516. 2008
- Promiscuity drives sexual selection in a socially monogamous bird.. Evolution. 61:2205-2211. 2007
- Sex-specific effects of yolk-androgens on growth of nestling American kestrels.. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 62:617-625. 2007
- Genetic divergence and migration patterns in a North American passerine bird: Implications for evolution and conservation.. Molecular Ecology. 15:2141-2152. 2006
- Montezuma oropendolas modify a component of song during vocal contests that is constrained by body size.. Animal Behaviour. 71:799-807. 2006
- Genetic similarity of social mates predicts the level of extra-pair paternity in splendid fairy-wrens.. Animal Behaviour. 70:945-955. 2005
- Paternity and paternal effort in the pumpkinseed sunfish.. Behavioral Ecology. 16:914-921. 2005
- The heterozygosity theory of extrapair mate choice: a test and a cautionary note.. Journal of Avian Biology. 36:146-154. 2005
- Use of microsatellites for parentage and kinship analyses in animals.. Methods in Enzymology. 395:222-238. 2005
- Reproductive promiscuity in the splendid fairy-wren: Effects of group size and reproduction by auxiliaries.. Behavioral Ecology. 15:907-915. 2004
- A call for feather sampling.. Auk. 120:218-221. 2003
- Isolation and characterization of variable microsatellite loci in Lilium philadelphicum (Liliacea).. Molecular Ecology Notes 3. 3:412-413. 2003
- Links between worlds: unraveling migratory connectivity.. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 17:76-83. 2002
- Genetic distinctiveness of endangered dwarf blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur schaeferi): Evidence from mitochondrial control region and Y-linked ZFY intron sequences.. Journal of Heredity. 92:9-15. 2001
- Microsatellite identification of extra-pair sires in a socially monogamous bird.. Behavioral Ecology. 12:436-446. 2001
- Paternity and parental care in the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens).. Animal Behaviour. 62:83-92. 2001
- The effectiveness of mate guarding by male Black-throated Blue Warblers.. Behavioral Ecology. 12:541-546. 2001
- Courtship disruptions and male mating strategies: examples from female-defense mating systems.. American Naturalist. 154:717-729. 1999
- Extra-pair paternity and local synchrony in the black-throated blue warbler.. Auk. 116:726-736. 1999
- Overview: Reconstructing the evolutionary origins of polygyny in Red-winged Blackbirds.. Auk. 1:1-4. 1999
- Cuckoldry as a cost of polyandry in the sex-role reversed wattled jacana, Jacana jacana. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 265:2359-2364. 1998
- Extreme sexual size dimorphism, sexual selection and the foraging ecology of a Neotropical bird.. Auk. 114:570-580. 1997
- Cloacal protuberances and extreme sperm production in Australian fairy-wrens.. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 263:1359-1364. 1996
- Measuring the effects of pairing success, extra-pair copulations and mate quality on the opportunity for sexual selection.. Evolution. 49:1147-1157. 1995
- The effects of female mate choice and copulations away from the colony on the fertilization success of male Montezuma oropendolas.. Auk. 112:659-671. 1995
- Female-defence polygyny in a Neotropical bird, the Montezuma oropendola.. Animal Behaviour. 48:779-794. 1994
- Interspecific brood parasitism of Montezuma oropendolas by giant cowbirds: parasitism or mutualism?. Condor. 96:794-798. 1994
- The spatial and temporal distribution of breeding female Montezuma oropendolas: effects on male mating strategies.. Condor. 96:722-733. 1994
- Mating system, body size and sexual size dimorphism in New World blackbirs (Icterinae).. Evolution. 46:1621-1641. 1992
- Male parental care and polygyny in birds.. American Naturalist. 137:274-280. 1991
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chapter
- Adaptive offspring sex ratios. Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology. 461. 2010
- Migratory Connectivity. Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Volume 2. 455-461. 2010
- Overview: Behavioral Ecology. Smithsonian Institution Press. 305-306. 2005
- The importance of understanding migratory connectivity and cross-seasonal interactions. In Birds of Two Worlds.. Johns Hopkins University Press. 199-209. 2005
- The use of molecular markers to study kinship in birds: Techniques and questions. In Molecular Analysis of Populations, Species and Higher Taxa. Birkhauser (Boston). 7-35. 1998
- Molecular analyses of kinship in birds: Interesting questions and useful techniques. In Molecular Analysis of Populations, Species and Higher Taxa. Birkhauser Verlag (Basel). 91-126. 1994
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conference paper
- Relocation of nuisance rattlesnakes: Problems using short-distance translocation in a small rural community. Creative Cooperation in Resource Management: Third Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts, Extended Abstracts. 44-45. 2000
- Cuckoldry as a cost of polyandry in the sex-role-reversed wattled jacana, Jacana jacana. Proceedings Royal Society London B. 2359-2364. 1998
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review
- Sex Allocation (Monographs in Population Biology #44) by Stuart West. 502. 2010
- Integration of ecology and endocrinology in avian reproduction: a new synthesis, by John C. Wingfield, Marcel E. Visser, and Tony D. Williams, Editors.. 453-454. 2009
- New World Blackbirds.. 270-271. 2000
- Everything you ever wanted to know about redwings.. 327-328. 1996
- Reconstructing the evolutionary origins of polygyny in Red-winged Blackbirds 1999
presentations
featured in archived article
Teaching
teaching overview
- I teach courses broadly within the area of organismal biology, but primarily focused on ecology, evolution and animal behavior.
teaching activities
Service
outreach overview
- Natural History recording, animal communication, and the use of scientific collections
- Public understanding of evolutionary science
service to the profession
reviewer or editor for
Background
education and training
- University of Chicago 1995
- Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University 1991
- B.A. in Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California, San Diego 1982
awards and honors
- Council Member, 2012
- Elective Member, 2009
- Eccles Visiting Scholar, 2004
- Outstanding Graduate Advisor, 2003
- Certification of Recognition for Positive Contributions to Undergraduate Education at SUNY Buffalo (based on survey of 1999 graduates), 2002
- Career Development Award, 2000
- Frances S. Roberts Student Paper Award, 1990
- Integrative Training Fellowship, 1989
- Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award, 1989
- Fellowship, 1988
- Graduate Fellowship, 1987
- Integrative Training Fellowship, 1987
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- Animal Behavior
- Animal Communication
- Behavioral Ecology
- Evolution
- Ornithology
- Sexual Selection
- Sexual Signals
name prefix
- Dr.