Extracting color data from photographs of museum specimens
The utility of natural history and research museum collections for studying evolutionary biology cannot be overstated, yet their use in studying the evolution of color has been largely ignored because specimens change color (generally fade) over time when stored in fluid preservative. Using reptile specimens collected from Peru over a several-year span, we are comparing the colors of each specimen before and after storage in preservative. To do this, we compare colors in photographs of specimens taken at the time of collection and several years later in the collection of the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. This project aims to show which colors fade/change and to what degree/rate, giving us a better sense of how museum specimens can be used for studies on the evolution of color, even if the specimens have somewhat faded.
Participating students will download photos onto their computers and analyze color patches using the free program imageJ. Training in this software will be provided, after which this project can be conducted fully remotely as long as internet is accessible. The process of extracting color metrics from patches is fairly straightforward, but very tedious and time-consuming - persistent, careful, and detail-oriented students are especially encouraged to apply! I am also open to discussing the possibility of coauthorship on the resulting manuscript in return for assistance with data analysis.
Essay Prompt: Why do you think museum collections of biological specimens are important? Why do you think studying color is important? What do you think we can learn from extracting color data from museum specimens? (Please do not use AI for this essay prompt - I am interested in YOUR thoughts! 😊). Also, please briefly describe your academic goals and interests, as well as what you hope to gain from this experience.
I am currently a visiting professor at Harvey Mudd, so my "lab" is a bit in flux at the moment. However, I broadly study the ecological and evolutionary processes that underlie the vast diversity of colors and patterns found in nature. In animals, colors often serve as signals that convey some sort of information from the signaler to the signal-receiver. Such signals may be critical to acquiring mates, defending against rivals, recognizing conspecifics, remaining cryptic to predators, signifying danger or toxicity to predators (sometimes deceitfully), and even luring prey. Because these color signals are so tightly linked to prezygotic reproductive isolation and fitness, they are often influenced by multiple sources of selection and may evolve alongside suites of coadapted traits that in turn impact aspects of morphology, physiology, behavior, and life history. Although we know much about the evolution of color signals in a handful of well-researched systems, the processes that generate and maintain color diversity, as well as how such processes may be impacted by anthropogenic global changes, remain a mystery for most taxa. My previous research has primarily focused on colorful groups of reptiles (Iguanian lizards and snakes), but I am interested in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of animal color in all species. Although this solicitation is for a specific project, I welcome any student to reach out if they are interested in studying the integrative biology of color!