Poster Presentations

Sponsorship Spotlight: Katherine Taylor

University of Alabama in Huntsville | Dr. Zachary Culumber Lab

Project: How Energy Levels Shape Male Mate Choice

Katherine is investigating how a male fish’s energy level—and the condition of potential mates—affects reproductive decisions. Using controlled diet treatments and animated female stimuli, her work compares mate preferences across species with different mating strategies, from coercion to courtship.

Why Sponsor This Research?

Behavioral Insight: Reveals how energy availability influences mating decisions in real time.

Comparative Science: Explores how different reproductive strategies evolve across species.

Evolutionary Impact: Advances our understanding of how condition-dependent behaviors shape mating systems.

Sponsorship Spotlight: Makailyn Hernandez

University of Alabama in Huntsville | Dr. Zachary Culumber Lab

Project: The Hidden Impact of Heat Stress on Fish Offspring

Makailyn is exploring how elevated temperatures during pregnancy affect offspring growth and development in livebearing fish. By examining maternal stress and nutrient provisioning strategies, her research uncovers how environmental pressures influence reproductive trade-offs and long-term offspring success.

Why Sponsor This Research?

Climate Relevance: Investigates how rising temperatures impact reproduction and survival.

Maternal Effects: Sheds light on how pregnancy conditions shape future generations.

Evolution in Action: Helps explain how species may adapt—or struggle—in changing environments.

Sponsorship Spotlight: Marissa Cartee

UC Riverside | David Reznick Lab

Project: Unlocking the Secrets of Cryptic Female Choice

Marissa is pioneering new methods to understand how female fish (Poeciliidae) influence fertilization through internal sperm storage. By utilizing dual-color sperm dyeing and flow cytometry, her research tracks how biological barriers bias reproductive success.

Your sponsorship supports:

• Innovation: Developing high-tech tracking for reproductive cellular biology.

• Discovery: Identifying the exact mechanisms of "cryptic choice" in evolution.

• Academic Excellence: Fueling breakthrough research at the Reznick Lab.

Sponsorship Spotlight: Tao Hernandez Arellano

UC Riverside | David Reznick Lab

Project: Geogenomics—Reading Earth’s History in Fish DNA Tao’s research explores the cutting-edge field of Geogenomics, bridging the gap between geology, climate science, and genomics. By analyzing the DNA of Neotropical freshwater fish, Tao uncovers how ancient mountain building and shifting river paths have shaped modern biodiversity.

Why Sponsor This Research?

• Interdisciplinary Impact: Supports work at the intersection of Earth sciences and biology.

• Biodiversity Conservation: Helps us understand how environmental history dictates species survival.

• Scientific Storytelling: Decodes the history of our planet through the "living records" found in tropical rivers.