Justin C. Touchon

Biography

B.S. Biology 1996 Willamette University, PhD. Ecology, Behavior and Evolution 2009 Boston University NSF International Fellow/Smithsonian Fellow 2010-2013 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Postdoctoral Researcher 2014 East Carolina University B.S. Biology 1996 Willamette University, PhD. Ecology, Behavior and Evolution 2009 Boston University NSF International Fellow/Smithsonian Fellow 2010-2013 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Postdoctoral Researcher 2014 East Carolina University

Research Interest

II study animal behavioral ecology, life-history and phenotypic evolution, embryonic and larval development, and predator-prey interactions. I primarily study amphibians in both tropical and temperate systems. My main research involves using the treefrog Dendropsophus ebraccatus (and relatives in the same genus) to understand the forces that drive the evolution of reproduction on land. Dendropsophus ebraccatus has plasticity in reproduction, laying eggs in water under some conditions and laying eggs on land under others. I also study the tadpoles of this species, which have remarkable plasticity in morphology and coloration, growing different tail shapes and colors when raised in the presence of different types of predators. More locally I study the ecological interactions between amphibian eggs and their natural pathogens, predators and competitors. This work integrates behavior, development, and ecology with population genetics, phylogeography, and next-generation sequencing and comparative genomics.