Dr. Melissah Rowe
Tenure TrackAnimal Ecology |
Research themes
Research expertiseBehavioural ecology Ejaculate evolution Reproductive microbiomes Sperm biology
Page last updated: 19-07-2020
My current research is primarily directed towards understanding how ecology and evolution shape reproductive biology and behaviour and the consequences of variation in sexual traits for fitness, as well as reproductive isolation between diverging lineages. Most of my work is focused on ejaculate evolution and investigating factors that influence ejaculate biology and sperm form and function in passerine birds. This includes studies examining the impact of variation in mating behavior (e.g. polyandry), environmental factors (e.g. temperature, diet), and microbes (reproductive microbiomes).
For more information go to the group page or the rowelab website.
Short bio
My fascination with sexual selection and adaptation was sparked during my undergraduate studies (Macquarie University, Australia) when I first learned about Jonathan Waage’s work on sperm displacement in damselflies. This exposed me to the field of sperm competition and set me off on an adventure that has taken me around the world. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and moved to the USA to pursue my PhD at the University of Chicago. Ironically, after moving to the US, I did my dissertation research on a group of birds endemic to Australia, the fairy-wrens. I then spent two years at Arizona State University working on colouration and immunity in waterfowl, before moving to Norway for a postdoc at the Natural History Museum of Oslo investigating sperm evolution in passerine birds. In 2014, with funding from the Norwegian Research Council, I began investigating the role of microbes in the functional evolution of avian ejaculates.
In 2019 I joined the Department of Animal Ecology at NIOO-KNAW, where I continue to investigate the evolutionary ecology of reproduction. Most of my work focuses on passerine birds, especially my favourites – the Passer sparrows, Australian grassfinches, and fairy-wrens. I combine field-based studies of natural populations with experimental work in captive settings and use a variety of techniques in my research, including in vitro assays of sperm function, microscopy, comparative methods, proteomics, molecular evolution, behavioural analysis, and immunological assays. I value the continual learning that comes with research, open science, and collaboration. I am always happy to discuss research projects with interested students and collaborators and to explore fellowship opportunities with post-docs.
Research positions
2019- current: Group Leader at Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW)
2014-2019: Researcher at the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) and Natural History Museum, University of Oslo (Norway)
2010-2014: Postdoc at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo (Norway)
2008-2010: Postdoc at the School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University (USA)
Education
2008: PhD in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago (USA)
2005: MSc in the Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago (USA)
2000: BSc (First Class Honours) in the School of Life Sciences, Macquarie University (Australia)
You can find a full list of my publications on my google scholar page.
My Orcid is 0000-0001-9747-041X, see https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9747-041X
- Carneiro, D., Czirják, G. Á., & Rowe, M. (2020). Innate and adaptive immune proteins in the preen gland secretions of male house sparrows. Journal of Avian Biology, 51(11). https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.02556
- Rowe, M., Whittington, E., Borziak, K., Ravinet, M., Eroukhmanoff, F., Glenn-Peter, S., & Dorus, S. (2020). Molecular Diversification of the Seminal Fluid Proteome in a Recently Diverged Passerine Species Pair. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 37(2), 488-506. [msz235]. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz235
- Hurley, L. L., Rowe, M., & Griffith, S. C. (2020). Reproductive coordination breeds success: the importance of the partnership in avian sperm biology. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 74(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-019-2782-9
- Rowe, M., Veerus, L., Trosvik, P., Buckling, A., & Pizzari, T. (2020). Reproductive Microbiomes and the Sexual Transmission of Beneficial Microbes: Reply to Lombardo et al. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 35(11), 964-965. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2020.08.017
- Omotoriogun, T. C., Albrecht, T., Gohli, J., Hořák, D., Johannessen, L. E., Johnsen, A., Kreisinger, J., Marki, P. Z., Ottosson, U., Rowe, M., Sedláček, O., & Lifjeld, J. T. (2020). Sperm length variation among Afrotropical songbirds reflects phylogeny rather than adaptations to the tropical environment. Zoology, 140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.zool.2020.125770
- Rowe, M., & Rosengrave, P. (2020). There and back again: A sperm's tale. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 87(4), 395-398. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.23325
- Rowe, M., Veerus, L., Trosvik, P., Buckling, A., & Pizzari, T. (2020). The reproductive microbiome: an emerging driver of sexual selection, sexual conflict, mating systems, and reproductive isolation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 35(3), 220-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.004
- Hurley, L. L., Crino, O. L., Rowe, M., & Griffith, S. C. (2020). Variation in female reproductive tract morphology across the reproductive cycle in the zebra finch. PeerJ, [10195]. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10195
