[Faculty Logo] Kenneth Petren
Associate Professor

Ph.D., University of California at San Diego
Ecology and Evolution

[Contact Info]
Address:
Kenneth Petren
Department of Biological Sciences, ML006
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0006
802 Rieveschl Hall
Telephone:
(513) 556-9719
FAX: (513) 556-5299
Email: ken.petren@uc.edu

Petren lab home page

[Research]

Speciation and community formation are two of the most important and enduring questions of evolutionary ecology.  Research in my lab uses two different vertebrate model systems to understand how populations evolve into species and assemble into communities.  First, we use comparative landscape genetics to investigate speciation and community formation in Darwin's finches.  We also investigate ongoing community formation in invasive gecko lizards using field and lab experiments that connect individual behavior to species interactions. For more pictures and information about Ken's research, go to the Petren lab home page.

Ken is part of the growing Integrative Behavior group within Biological Sciences.

[Publications]
For a more complete list with reprints, click here.

Dame, E. & Petren, K. (2006). Behavioural mechanisms of invasion and displacement in Pacific Island geckos (Hemidactylus). Animal Behaviour 71: 1165-73.

Tonnis, B., Grant , P. R., Grant, B. R. & Petren, K. (2005) Habitat selection and ecological speciation in the Galapagos warbler finches Certhidea fusca and C. olivacea. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 272: 819-826.

Petren, K., Grant, B. R. & Grant , P. R. & Keller, L. F. (2005). Comparative landscape genetics and the adaptive radiation of Darwin's finches: the role of peripheral isolation. Molecular Ecology 14: 2943-2957.

Markert, J. A., Grant, P. R., Grant, B. R., Keller, L. F., Coombs, J. L. & Petren, K. (2004) Neutral locus heterozygosity, inbreeding and survival in Darwin's ground finches (Geospiza fortis and G. scandens). Heredity 92: 306-315.

Petren, K., Grant, B.R. & Grant, P.R. (1999) A phylogeny of Darwin's finches based on microsatellite DNA length variation. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B 266: 321-329.

Petren, K. & Case, T.J. (1998) Habitat structure determines competition intensity and invasion success in gecko lizards. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 95(20): 11739-11744.

Petren, K. & Case, T.J. (1997) A phylogenetic analysis of body size evolution in chuckwallas (Sauromalus) and other iguanines. Evolution 51: 206-219.

Petren, K., Bolger, D.T. & Case, T.J. (1993) Mechanisms in the competitive success of an invading sexual gecko species over an asexual native. Science 259:  354-358.


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