Rebar Lab

I’m an evolutionary biologist/behavioral ecologist and an assistant professor at Emporia State University.

​

I conduct research on the causes and consequences of behavioral plasticity, with a particular focus on the influence of conspecifics and heterospecifics on the patterns of plasticity in fitness-related traits.

​

I was previously a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Rebecca Kilner‘s group in the Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge to explore how developmental plasticity may initiate divergence with Nicrophorus burying beetles. We used experimental evolution to test how different environments promote variation and shifts in morphological and behavioural traits. Much of this work is still in prep, so stay tuned for our forthcoming publications!

​

Before Cambridge, I was a Fondation Fyssen Fellow collaborating with Dr. Michael Greenfield to study experience-mediated plasticity in the bushcricket Ephippiger diurnus. We used geographically isolated populations to understand how acoustic experience from conspecific males feeds back to influence the form and shape of plasticity in male mating signals, female mate preferences, and each sex’s reproductive investment in a mating.

DARREN REBAR

drebar (at) emporia.edu

​

Department of Biological Sciences
Emporia State University
1 Kellogg Circle
Emporia, KS 66801

BETHANY ROBERTON

FORMER GRAD STUDENTS

Bethany successfully defended her MS thesis in spring 2021. She studied the impact of variation in prescribed burns on plant communities and insect pollinator recruitment. Stay tuned for forthcoming papers.

​

As of summer 2021, Bethany is continuing her work on plant-pollinator interactions in tallgrass prairies as a PhD student at North Dakota State University.

TUCKER ECKOLS

FORMER UNDERGRAD STUDENTS

Tucker explored whether ants can compensate for the loss of pollinator activity in perennial prairie plants. His research was funded by ESU's summer undergraduate research program. Paper in prep. 

​

Tucker graduated in spring 2021, and will be working at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. 

Tyler characterized arthropod communities associated with industrialized hemp in Kansas. Manuscript in prep.

Tyler graduated from Emporia State University in 2019 with a Bachelors in Science Education. He currently teaches sophomore biology at Nickerson High School in Nickerson, Kansas.