Department of Zoology

 

Behavioural Ecology

Nicholas Mundy

University Reader

Email: nim21@cam.ac.uk

Tel.: +44 (0)1223 336657

My research focuses on the molecular genetic changes underlying adaptive evolution in vertebrates. A major goal is to understand the relationship between genotype and phenotype across all levels, from DNA through cell biology up to behaviour. Our main study systems are the evolutionary genetics of plumage colour evolution in birds and other vertebrates, and the evolutionary genetics of brain and sensory systems in primates.

Selected publications

  • Walsh, N., Dale, J., McGraw, K. J., Pointer, M. A. and N. I. Mundy (2012) Candidate genes for carotenoid colouration in vertebrates and their expression profiles in the carotenoid-containing plumage and bill of a wild bird. Proc. Roy. Soc. B 279, 58-66.
  • Hohenbrink, P., Radespiel, U. and N. I. Mundy (2012) Pervasive and ongoing positive selection in the V1R repertoire of mouse lemurs. Molecular Biology and Evolution (in press).
  • Scally, A. et al. (71 co-authors)(2012) Insights into the evolution of the great apes provided by the gorilla genome sequence. Nature 483, 169-175.
  • Bowden, R. J., Macfie, T. S., Kyers, S., Hellenthal, G., Nerrienet, E., Bontrop, R., Freeman, C., Donnelly, P., and N. I. Mundy (2012) Genomic tools for evoution and conservation in the chimpanzee: Pan troglodytes ellioti is a genetically distinct population. PloS Genetics 8 e1002504.
  • Montgomery, S. H. and N. I. Mundy (2012) Evolution of ASPM is associated with both increases and decreases in brain size in primates. Evolution 66, 927-932.
  • Montgomery, S. H., Capellini, I., Venditti, C., Barton, R. A. and N. I. Mundy (2011) Adaptive evolution of four microcephaly genes and the evolution of brain size in anthropoid primates. Molecular Biology and Evolution 28, 625-638.
  • Caine, N. G. Osorio, D. and N. I. Mundy (2010) A foraging advantage for dichromatic marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi) at low light intensity. Biology Letters 6, 36-38.
  • Nadeau, N. J., Minvielle, F., Ito, S., Inoue-Murayama, M., Gourichon, D., Johns, S.A., Burke, T. and N. I. Mundy (2008) Characterization of Japanese quail yellow as a genomic deletion upstream of the avian homologue of the mammalian ASIP (agouti) gene. Genetics 178, 777-786.
  • Bradley, B. J. and N. I. Mundy (2008) The primate palette: the evolution of primate coloration. Evolutionary Anthropology 17, 97-111.
  • Nadeau, N. J., Burke, T. A. and N. I. Mundy (2007) Evolution of an avian pigmentation gene correlates with a measure of sexual selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 274, 1807-1813.
  • Mundy, N. I., Badcock, N., Hart, T., Scribner, K., Janssen, K. and N. J. Nadeau (2004) Conserved genetic basis of a quantitative plumage trait involved in mate choice. Science 303, 1870-1873.
  • Surridge, A. K., Osorio, D. and N. I. Mundy. (2003) Evolution and selection of trichromatic vision in primates. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18, 198-205.
  • Theron, E., Hawkins, K., Bermingham, E., Ricklefs, R. and N. I. Mundy. (2001) The molecular basis of an avian plumage polymorphism in the wild: a point mutation in the melanocortin-1 receptor is perfectly associated with melanism in the bananaquit (Coereba flaveola). Current Biology 11, 550-557.
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