	Molly Cummings Assistant Professor, Section of Integrative Biology
Lab Website	Education \| Research Interests \| Instruction \| Publications
E-mail: mcummings@mail.utexas.edu Office: PAT 502, (512) 471-5162 Lab: PAT 510, (512) 471-5163 Fax: (512) 471-3878	Education B.A., Human Biology, Stanford University, 1990 Post-Graduate Diploma in Marine Science, James Cook University, Australia 1993 Ph.D., Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Univ. of California - Santa Barbara, 2001 Research Interests Dr. Cummings is interested in identifying how the environment (social or physical) shapes the direction of evolution of animal sensory and signaling systems. Her research focuses on the evolutionary interplay between ecology and visual systems, and how this influences the direction of signal evolution (traits and behavior) through the processes of natural and sexual selection. She employs a number of different techniques to address this broad topic including optical measurements in the field, mate choice experiments in the lab, computational modeling of visual detection, physiological measurements of visual sensitivity (ERG, optomotor), and color pattern characteristics (spectral reflectance) of a number of different fish and frog species. Instruction Spring 2007 BIO 359K - Principles of Animal Behavior Fall 2004 BIO 359K - Principles of Animal Behavior Publications Maan ME, & Cummings ME (in press) Sexual dimorphism and directional sexual selection on aposematic signals in a poison frog. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cummings, ME & Gelineau-Kattner R (2009) The metabolic cost of alternative male reproductive strategies in Xiphophorus nigrensis. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 195: 935-946. Maan ME & Cummings ME (2008) Female preference for aposematic signal components in a polymorphic poison frog. *Evolution, 62: 2334-2345. Cummings* ME, Larkins-Ford J, Reilly CRL,Wong RY, Ramsey M & Hofmann HA. 2008. Sexual and social stimuli elicit rapid and contrasting genomic responses. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 275: 393-402. Cummings ME, Bernal X, Reynaga R. Rand AS, & Ryan MJ, 2008. Visual sensitivity to a conspicuous male cue varies by reporductive state in Physalaemus pustulosus females. *Journal of Experimental Biology,* 211:1203-1210. Cummings ME, Jordao J, Cronin T, & Oliviera R. 2008. Visual ecology of the fiddler crab Uca tangeri: effects of sex, viewer and background on conspicuousness. Animal Behaviour, 75: 175-188. Cummings ME (2007) Sensory trade-offs predicts signal divergence in surfperch. Evolution, 61 (3): 530-545. Cummings ME & Johnsen S (2007) Light, Effects of. In: Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores. Denny, M., Gaines, S. (Eds). University of California Press. p325-329. Darst CR. & Cummings ME. (2006) Predator learning favors mimicry of a less toxic model in poison frogs. *Nature, 440: 208-211. Darst CR, Cummings* ME. & Cannatella DC. (2006) A mechanism for diversity in warning signals: conspicuousness versus toxicity in poison frogs. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103: 5852-5857. Cummings* ME. & Mollaghan DM. (2006) Repeatability and consistency of female preference behaviours in a northern swordtail, Xiphophorus nigrensis. *Animal Behaviour, 72: 217-224. Cummings* ME, Garcia de Leon FJ, Mollaghan DM & Ryan MJ. (2006) Is UV ornamentation an amplifier in swordtails? *Zebrafish, 3:91-100. Grether GG, Cummings* ME & Hudon J. (2005) Countergradient variation in the sexual coloration of guppies (Poecilia reticulata): droserpterin synthesis balances carotenoid availability. *Evolution, 59: 175-188 Ryan MJ. & Cummings* ME (2005) Animal signals and the overlooked costs of efficacy. *Evolution, 59: 1160-1161 Cummings* ME (2004) Modelling divergence in luminance and chromatic detectionperformances across measured divergence in surfperch (Embiotocidae) habitats. *Vision Research* 44:1127-1145. Cummings ME, Rosenthal GG & Ryan MJ. (2003) A private ultraviolet channel in visual communication. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 270: 897-904. Cummings ME & Zimmerman RC. (2003) Light harvesting and the package effect in the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum Konig and Zostera marina L.: Optical constraints on photoacclimation. Aquatic Botany, 75: 261-274. Cummings ME & Partridge JC. (2001) Visual pigments and optical habitats of surfperch (Embiotocidae) in the California kelp forest. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 187: 875-889. Partridge JC & Cummings ME (1999) Adaptation of visual pigments to the aquatic environment. In: Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision. Archer, S.N., Damgoz, M.B.A., Loew, E.R., Partridge, J.C., Valerga, S. (Eds) Kluwer Academic Publishers. Great Britain. Pp. 251-283.

Molly Cummings

Assistant Professor, Section of Integrative Biology

Education | Research Interests | Instruction | Publications

E-mail:
mcummings@mail.utexas.edu
Office:
PAT 502,
(512) 471-5162
Lab:
PAT 510,
(512) 471-5163
Fax:
(512) 471-3878

Education

B.A., Human Biology, Stanford University, 1990
Post-Graduate Diploma in Marine Science, James Cook University, Australia 1993
Ph.D., Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Univ. of California - Santa Barbara, 2001

Research Interests

Dr. Cummings is interested in identifying how the environment (social or physical) shapes the direction of evolution of animal sensory and signaling systems. Her research focuses on the evolutionary interplay between ecology and visual systems, and how this influences the direction of signal evolution (traits and behavior) through the processes of natural and sexual selection. She employs a number of different techniques to address this broad topic including optical measurements in the field, mate choice experiments in the lab, computational modeling of visual detection, physiological measurements of visual sensitivity (ERG, optomotor), and color pattern characteristics (spectral reflectance) of a number of different fish and frog species.

Instruction

Spring 2007

BIO 359K - Principles of Animal Behavior

Fall 2004

BIO 359K - Principles of Animal Behavior

Publications

Maan ME, & Cummings ME (in press) Sexual dimorphism and directional sexual selection on aposematic signals in a poison frog. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

Cummings, ME & Gelineau-Kattner R (2009) The metabolic cost of alternative male reproductive strategies in Xiphophorus nigrensis. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 195: 935-946.

Maan ME & Cummings ME (2008) Female preference for aposematic signal components in a polymorphic poison frog. Evolution, 62: 2334-2345.

Cummings ME, Larkins-Ford J, Reilly CRL,Wong RY, Ramsey M & Hofmann HA. 2008. Sexual and social stimuli elicit rapid and contrasting genomic responses. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 275: 393-402.

Cummings ME, Bernal X, Reynaga R. Rand AS, & Ryan MJ, 2008. Visual sensitivity to a conspicuous male cue varies by reporductive state in Physalaemus pustulosus females. Journal of Experimental Biology, 211:1203-1210.

Cummings ME, Jordao J, Cronin T, & Oliviera R. 2008. Visual ecology of the fiddler crab Uca tangeri: effects of sex, viewer and background on conspicuousness. Animal Behaviour, 75: 175-188.

Cummings ME (2007) Sensory trade-offs predicts signal divergence in surfperch. Evolution, 61 (3): 530-545.

Cummings ME & Johnsen S (2007) Light, Effects of. In: Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores. Denny, M., Gaines, S. (Eds). University of California Press. p325-329.

Darst CR. & Cummings ME. (2006) Predator learning favors mimicry of a less toxic model in poison frogs. Nature, 440: 208-211.

Darst CR, Cummings ME. & Cannatella DC. (2006) A mechanism for diversity in warning signals: conspicuousness versus toxicity in poison frogs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103: 5852-5857.

Cummings ME. & Mollaghan DM. (2006) Repeatability and consistency of female preference behaviours in a northern swordtail, Xiphophorus nigrensis. Animal Behaviour, 72: 217-224.

Cummings ME, Garcia de Leon FJ, Mollaghan DM & Ryan MJ. (2006) Is UV ornamentation an amplifier in swordtails? Zebrafish, 3:91-100.

Grether GG, Cummings ME & Hudon J. (2005) Countergradient variation in the sexual coloration of guppies (Poecilia reticulata): droserpterin synthesis balances carotenoid availability. Evolution, 59: 175-188

Ryan MJ. & Cummings ME (2005) Animal signals and the overlooked costs of efficacy. Evolution, 59: 1160-1161

Cummings ME (2004) Modelling divergence in luminance and chromatic detectionperformances across measured divergence in surfperch (Embiotocidae) habitats. Vision Research 44:1127-1145.

Cummings ME, Rosenthal GG & Ryan MJ. (2003) A private ultraviolet channel in visual communication. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B, 270: 897-904.

Cummings ME & Zimmerman RC. (2003) Light harvesting and the package effect in the seagrasses Thalassia testudinum Konig and Zostera marina L.: Optical constraints on photoacclimation. Aquatic Botany, 75: 261-274.

Cummings ME & Partridge JC. (2001) Visual pigments and optical habitats of surfperch (Embiotocidae) in the California kelp forest. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 187: 875-889.

Partridge JC & Cummings ME (1999) Adaptation of visual pigments to the aquatic environment. In: Adaptive Mechanisms in the Ecology of Vision. Archer, S.N., Damgoz, M.B.A., Loew, E.R., Partridge, J.C., Valerga, S. (Eds) Kluwer Academic Publishers. Great Britain. Pp. 251-283.