These people do great research, and I have been fortunate enough to work with them over the years.
These people do great research, and I have been fortunate enough to work with them over the years.
BETHANY ROBERTON
I’m an evolutionary and 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.
CURRENT GRAD STUDENTS
DARREN REBAR
drebar (at) emporia.edu
Department of Biological Sciences
Emporia State University
1 Kellogg Circle
Emporia, KS 66801
This could be you!
Are you interested in behavior?
Like insects?
Feel free to touch base and talk more about it with me.
CURRENT UNDERGRAD STUDENTS
Lizzy murdock
Lizzy is currently working on how anthropogenic light at night impacts the immune system and reproduction of female field crickets. Is there a trade off in investment between naturally and sexually selected traits? Do they both suffer in anthropogenic light? Stayed tuned for updates!
FORMER GRAD STUDENTS
BETHANY ROBERTON
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.
Bethany continued on as a PhD student at North Dakota State University working on plant-pollinator interactions in tallgrass prairies.
PUBLICATIONS
Roberton B, Rebar D. 2022. Timing of prescribed burns impacts plant diversity but not investment in pollinator recruitment in a tallgrass prairie. Ecosphere 13: e3914.
Eckols T, Roberton B, Clark B, Rebar D. 2021. Exploring the potential role of ants as pollinators in a tallgrass prairie following varied prescribed burns. Trans Kansas Acad Sci 123: 155-164
TINGYUAN XIAO
Tingyuan successfully defended her MS non-thesis in spring 2022. She wrote a literature review on the consequences of anthropogenic light and noise on survival and reproduction.
Tingyuan has continued on as a PhD student at Kansas State University and gone back to her roots in molecular biology.
FORMER UNDERGRAD STUDENTS
TUCKER ECKOLS
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. He worked at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve before beginning as a MS student at Emporia State University in Fall 2021.
PUBLICATIONS
Eckols T, Roberton B, Clark B, Rebar D. 2021. Exploring the potential role of ants as pollinators in a tallgrass prairie following varied prescribed burns. Trans Kansas Acad Sci 123: 155-164
TYLER BALSTERS
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 continued on as a high school biology teacher in Kansas.
COReY BISHOP
Corey's project explored the impact of anthropogenic light and noise on the development and mating patterns in field crickets. He graduated in spring 2021.
PUBLICATIONS
Rebar D, Bishop C, Hallett AC. 2022. Anthropogenic light and noise affect the life histories of female Gryllus veletis field crickets. Behavioral Ecology 33: 731-739.