Environmental Futures Seminar - Dr Iliana Medina

Most animals are builders, but we know remarkably little about how animal constructions evolve. Nests, for example, are fundamental structures for population persistence but there are large gaps in our understanding of how nests vary and the evolutionary drivers (and consequences) of such variation. In this talk I will discuss the links between nest architecture and climatic drivers in birds, as well as the link between nests and measures of ecological success. I present evidence that climate can drive variation in nest architecture and that there is much more flexibility in nest design than we have acknowledged so far. I also argue that transitions in nest architecture could represent a key evolutionary innovation behind the success of the largest radiation of birds. Our recent research shows that, although neglected for decades, extended phenotypes could be much more important in the lives of birds than previously suspected.

About the speaker

Iliana is a Lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Originally from Colombia, she received a PhD from the Australian National University. In 2017 she moved to Melbourne as a McKenzie Fellow at University of Melbourne, and now leads the BEAM (Behavioural Ecology and Macroevolution) group. Research at BEAM focuses on understanding the drivers of phenotypic diversity across birds (and sometimes insects), at different evolutionary scales. We combine empirical work with macroevolutionary techniques, to discover what has led to the diversity of forms, colours and shapes in our world.