Andrew Anderson, Phd. Visiting scholar

I have always liked fishes and the oceans, my first job in high school was working as a visitor service associate at the Tennessee Aquarium. I then attended the University of Miami where I got my degree in Marine Science/Biology while working two summers at the Tennessee Aquarium Research Institute (now renamed and relocated). Life got interesting and I ended up working at a pet shop, then as a middle and high school teacher. I knew I missed research, so I took a swing at Masters programs and got into the Marine Biology program at College of Charleston. I worked with the SCDNR on stock management and population genetics which got me really interested in evolution and sexual selection. I joined Adam Jones’s lab for my doctorate at Texas A&M working on sexual selection and sex-role reversal in syngnathids (pipefishes, seahorses, seadragons). From there I joined the Renn Lab and won an NSF PRFB where I worked on testing my hypotheses on the underlying mechanisms of cross-sexual transfer. I am now the Principal Investigator on full NSF Grant and have been a visiting professor at Reed College running my own lab.

Currently, I will be stepping away from my professor role and will be a visiting scholar at Reed while I finish work on my NSF Grant.

Thesis Students

Despite my change in status I am mentoring two students through their senior thesis

Fiona Noble

Fiona has worked in my lab in various capacities during her time at Reed. She is finishing data collection on hormonal changes in J. marlieri from the summer work. Her current thesis is working on developing techniques for inserting hormone capsules into our fishes and testing the effects of exogenous hormones on the behavior of our Julies.

ADela Reuter

Adela is dual thesis student in Art and Biology and is interested in the effects of language and society on how we view “gender roles” in animals. Adela has been attempting to hybridize our Julies and documenting the behaviors when cross-sex non-specifics interact with each other in a mesocosm setting.

Summer 2024 Lab

Josh Stueckle, post-baccalaureate researcher

Josh is studying maternal behavior in mouthbrooding Astatotilapia burtoni. He is observing maternal after the fry are released, particularly looking at dominance behaviors and consumption of their own young when two brooding females are housed together and experience conflict. Josh is further expanding this research to include other social situations such as non-brooding females and dominant males.

Helena Dobiecka, Post-Baccalaureate researcher

Helena is studying the transcriptome from the Vd and POA and Optic Tectum brain regions in both Julidochromis species in both males in females when paired as the larger or smaller individual. She will be targeting transcriptional activities of hormone receptors and biosynthetic enzymes that metabolize gonadal hormones.

Willa Cantlon

Willa is studying the behavioral changes in Julidochromis marlieri when males and females are exposed to different social situations (the size of their partner) as well as the hormonal correlates of those changes. This species is similar to J. transcriptus but prefers female-larger pairs making them an excellent comparator for mechanisms of behavior and cross-sexual transfer.

tia hendel

Tia is testing the cross-reactivity of antibodies to mammalian hormone receptors (androgen and estrogen) in two species of fishes: Julidochromis transcriptus and Syngnathus scovelli. Confirmation of these antibodies opens research questions using regional antibody staining, comparative questions, and possibly ChIPseq approaches

Past Lab Members (Reed)

Brendan Mobley (Post-Baccalaureate Researcher): Evolution of chromosome number in gourami

Fiona Noble (Student Researcher): Hormonal changes in Julidochromis transcriptus as they experience changes from bigger to smaller nest partners or vice versa

Ry Dennis (Post-Baccalaureate Researcher): Behavioral paradigms in Julidochromis marlieri, particularly in pairing dynamics and responses to conspecific intruders.

Past Reed Thesis Students:

Izzi Laun: Acoustic patterns during pairing behavior with Julidochromis marlieri or J. transcriptus produce

Josh Stueckle: Social status and the choice to continue maternal mouthbrooding in Astatotilapia burtoni

Helena Dobiecka: Hormonal correlates of behaviors in Julidochromis transcriptus pairs and the refinement of a brain punch technique for RNA sequencing

Brendan Mobley: Evolution of chromosome number in gourami.

Bean Fischer: Neurotensin expression across brain regions of Astatotilapia burtoni during mouthbrooding

Jaden Nichols: Behavior of captive chimpanzees during new troop introductions

Past Fish Technicians (reed)

Charlie Ball, Adam Eubanks, Sammi Goldberg

Past undergraduate Mentees (Texas A&M)

Caitlin Gabehart, Erin Dooley, Paul Hale, Elvira Maynard, Andrea Martinez, Keren Herrera