Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment

School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Dr Matthew Symonds
  Phone   +61 3 925 17437
Email   matthew.symonds@deakin.edu.au
Position   Lecturer in Ecology
Campus   Burwood
Research grouping   Wildlife and Conservation Biology
Ecophysiology, Sensory Ecology and Behaviour
Centre for Integrative Ecology

I am an evolutionary ecologist whose research seeks to identify the ecological factors that drive the
evolution of diversity. I seek to understand what has generated differences in behaviour, morphology and
physiology between closely related species. My research interests therefore cover a breadth of questions
from the evolution of insect pheromones and antennae, to geographic patterns in bird species morphology
and abundance, to understanding the evolution of communication systems more generally across diverse
orders (birds, reptiles, insects).

Research interests

  1. Evolution of pheromone communication in insects
  2. Macroecology of birds
  3. Insect behavioural ecology


Career

ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow and Lecturer in Zoology, University of Melbourne (2005-2010)
ARC Postdoctoral Research Associate, James Cook University (2003-2005)
Royal Society Travelling Research Fellow, University of Melbourne (2002)
Science Co-Ordinator, The Charles Darwin Trust (2000-2001)
PhD, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge (1996-2000)

Key publications

Chen, I-P., Stuart-Fox, D., Hugall, A.F. & Symonds, M.R.E. (2012) Sexual selection and the evolution of complex color patterns in dragon lizards Evolution 66, 3605-3614

Symonds, M.R.E., Johnson, T.L. & Elgar, M.A. (2012) Pheromone production, male abundance, body size, and the evolution of elaborate antennae in moths Ecology and Evolution 2, 227-246

Symonds, M.R.E.* & Tattersall, G.J.* (*joint first authors) (2010) Geographical variation in bill size across bird species provides evidence for Allen's rule. American Naturalist 176, 188-197

Symonds, M.R.E. & Elgar, M.A. (2008) The evolution of pheromone diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23, 220-228

Symonds, M.R.E. & Elgar, M.A. (2004) The mode of pheromone evolution: evidence from bark beetles. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 271, 839-846

Professional activities

President, Australasian Evolution Society
Council member, Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Editorial board, Oikos

 

PhD students

Student nameThesis title
Tamara Johnson (U. Melbourne)Evolution of elaborate antennae in moths Lisa Hodgkin (U. Melbourne)Behavioural ecology of pergine sawflies  

 

Honours students

Student nameThesis title Daniel Campbell-TennantGeographical and temporal variation in Australian parrot beaks Brett ShielAntennal size and male quality in painted apple moths  

 

Teaching areas

Evolution
Research Methods and Data Analysis
Techniques in Environmental Science


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8th February 2013