Sunny K. Scobell

Research Interests

 

I study the processes that mediate the unique behavioral and morphological adaptations in the fish Family Syngnathidae. In this unusual family, all species have male pregnancy where the male accepts eggs from the female(s) into a ventral pouch where the eggs are brooded. Species within the family exhibit a range of mating systems from monogamy to polyandry. Reproductive behavior can be conventional, as it is in seahorses, or sex-role reversed, as it is in many pipefish. This family is an exceptional group in which to study the evolution of mating systems, social behavior, and reproduction.

 

My research integrates genetics, physiology, behavior, and evolution. Previous studies have focused on the hormonal regulation of male pregnancy, the hormonal mediation of sex-role reversed intrasexual competitive behavior, and the evolution of mating systems.