Ann Hedrick
Assistant Adjunct Professor
avhedrick@ucdavis.edu

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior

Office
1011 Life Sciences
(530) 754-7611


Picture of Ann Hedrick
 
Degrees:
1987 PhD University of California, Davis Zoology
1984 MS University of California, Davis Zoology
1977 BA University of Virginia Biology
Research Interests:

My research program focuses on the evolution of behavior, particularly the evolution of mating behavior. I am especially interested in the interplay between sexual selection and natural selection. My research falls into three general areas of inquiry: (1) Studies of individual variation in mating preferences, (2) Investigating links between mating behavior and anti-predator behavior, and (3) Measuring correlations between different behavioral traits. For these studies, I am using the field cricket, Gryllus integer. In this species, males call to attract females using a rapid trill, and females generally prefer males with longer durations of uninterrupted trilling (calling bouts) to those with shorter calling bouts. Calling-bout length is a heritable trait in males. I am now investigating causes for differences in mating selectivity among females, mating behavior and anti-predator behavior in populations that differ in predation, and correlations among functionally different behavioral traits ("behavioral syndromes"). This work is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (IOS-0716332).
Mate choice and sexual selection; antipredator behavior; genetic basis for individual differences in behavior; correlations among functionally different behavioral traits.
Department and Center Affiliations:
Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior
Professional Societies:
Animal Behavior Society
International Society for Behavioral Ecology
Society for the Study of Evolution
CBS Graduate Group Affiliations:
Animal Behavior  
Publications:
  • Kortet, R. & A. Hedrick. 2007. A behavioural syndrome in the field cricket Gryllus integer: intrasexual aggression is correlated with activity in a novel environment. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 91: 475-482.
  • Kortet, R., M.J. Rantala & A. Hedrick. 2007. Boldness in anti-predator behavior and immune defense in field crickets. Evolutionary Ecology Research 9: 185-197.
  • Hedrick, A.V., M. Hisada & B. Mulloney. 2007. Tama-kugel: Hardware and software for measuring direction, distance and velocity of locomotion by insects. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 164: 86-92.
  • Hedrick, A.V. & R.K. Kortet. 2006. Hiding behaviour in two cricket populations that differ in predation pressure. Animal Behaviour 72: 1111-1118.
  • Hedrick, A.V. 2005. Environmental condition-dependent effects on a heritable, preferred male trait in the field cricket, Gryllus integer. Animal Behaviour 70:1121-1124.
  • Kortet, R.K. & A.V. Hedrick. 2005. The scent of dominance: female field crickets use odor to predict the outcome of male competition. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology 59: 77-83.
  • Kortet, R.K. & A.V. Hedrick. 2004. Detection of the spider predator, Hololena nedra by naive juvenile field crickets using indirect cues. Behaviour 141: 1189-1196.
  • Hedrick, A.V. & B. Mulloney. 2004. A multichannel electronic monitor of acoustic behaviors, and software to parse individual channels. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 133: 201-210.
  • Hedrick, A.V., D. Perez, N. Lichti & J. Yew. 2002. Temperature preferences of male field crickets (Gryllus integer) alter their mating calls. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 188: 799-805.
  • Hedrick, AV. 2000. Crickets with extravagant mating songs compensate for predation risk with extra caution. Proceedings, Royal Society of London B. 267:671-675
  • Dill LM, Hedrick AV and A Fraser. 1999. Male mating strategies under predation risk: do females call the shots?. Behavioural Ecology. 10:452-461
  • Hedrick, A.V. and T. Weber. 1998. Variance in female responses to the fine structure of male song in the field cricket, Gryllus integer. Behavioral Ecology. 9:582-591
  • Hedrick, A.V. 1994. The heritability of mate-attractive traits: a case study on field crickets. pp. 228-250 in C. Boake, ed. Quantitative genetic studies of behavioral evolution. University of Chicago Press.
  • Hedrick A.V. & L.M. Dill. 1993. Mate choice by female crickets is influenced by predation risk. Animal Behaviour 46: 193-196.
  • Riechert, S.E. & A. V. Hedrick 1993. A test for correlations among fitness-linked behavioural traits in the spider Agelenopsis aperta (Aranae, Agelenidae). Animal Behaviour 46: 669-675.
  • Riechert S.E. & A. V. Hedrick. 1990. Levels of predation and genetically based anti-predator behaviour in the spider, Agelenopsis aperta. Animal Behaviour 40: 679-687.
  • Hedrick, A.V. & S.E. Riechert. 1989. Genetically-based differences between populations in the foraging behavior of a spider. Oecologia 80: 533-539.
  • Hedrick A.V. & E.J. Temeles. 1989. The evolution of sexual dimorphism in animals: hypotheses and tests. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 4: 136-138.
  • Hedrick, A.V. 1988. Female choice and the heritability of attractive male traits: an empirical study. American Naturalist 132: 267-276.
  • Hedrick, A.V. 1986. Female preferences for male calling bout duration in a field cricket. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 19: 73-77.
Laboratory Personnel:
Hedrick Laboratory

Ann Hedrick, P.I., Anne Leonard, Jamie Bunting, Robert Hua

Field Sites:
California, Arizona
Teaching Interests:
Animal behavior.
Courses:
NPB 102 Animal Behavior
NPB 90C Current Topics in Animal Behavior Winter
NPB 159 Frontiers in Animal Behavior Spring