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Dale H. Clayton
Principal Investigator

PUBLICATIONS

Books
Book Chapters
Journal Articles
LabLIne

I have been interested in host-parasite relationships since I was in high school, which is a little frightening.  Even more frightening is the fact that part of my Ph.D. thesis research was related to the topic of a high school science fair project (impact of parasites on avian condition). I have long been interested in the reciprocal effects of hosts and parasites on one another, both in ecological and evolutionary time. I am particularly interested in understanding factors that govern parasite specificity, speciation, co-speciation, competition and adaptive radiation.

Research

Over the years I have published papers on a variety of host and parasite groups.  However, my favorite study system consists of birds and their feather-feeding lice.  This is because feather lice pass their entire life cycle on the body of the host, making their populations very tractable, both in micro- and macro-evolutionary time.  In short, when you hold a bird in your hand, you are holding virtually all of the parasite’s niche.  For this reason, it is possible to carry out lab-based studies on parasites that are more or less living under natural conditions.

In my lab we carry out a number of kinds of studies, including the following:

  • Experimental work with a model system consisting of Rock Pigeons (like those you see in the city park) and their feather lice. Much of this work involves tests of the efficiency of different adaptations birds have for defending themselves against ectoparasites, ranging from morphological to physiological to behavioral traits (e.g. bill morphology, preen oil, and anti-parasite behaviors, such as sunning).

  • Comparative experimental studies using different species of North American pigeons and doves, (e.g. Band-tailed Pigeons, and Mourning, White-winged, and White-tipped Doves) and their lice.

  • Phylogenetically independent comparative analyses of a variety of temperate and tropical birds and their parasites. We look at the relationship of host morphology, ecology and behavior to parasite load. We also look at the interaction of natural and sexual selection in the evolution of anti-parasite behavior.

  • Taxonomic and co-phylogenetic work reconstructing macroevolutionary patterns between birds, their feather lice, and endosymbiotic bacteria in the lice.

  • Phylogenetic and behavioral work on birds, particularly Australasian cave-swiftlets, which nest in caves and echolocate, like bats. We are interested in understanding the evolution of echolocation.

  • Faunal inventory work in the tropics, collecting museum specimens of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and their endo- and ecto-parasites.

  • Finally, we have developed a new, non-chemical method for killing head lice on children.  We are in the process of commercializing this technology.

For more information concerning our research see "Projects" or "Publications"

Teaching

I teach several courses, including:

  • Ecology and Evolution; Biol 3410, a large lecture course required of our biology majors.
  • Ornithology; Biol 5385, a smaller lecture/lab course limited to 30 students.
  • Advanced Field Ornithology; Biol 5395, an even smaller course limited to 12 students.  This is a residential course that lasts 10 days (over spring break), during which time we drive from Salt Lake City to Tucson, AZ and have an amazing time.
  • Grad Core Seminar:  Ecology and Evolution; Biol 7406, restricted to graduate students.  The topic changes each time; most recently I did a core seminar on Adaptive Radiation.

Background

Education

  • NSF-NATO Postdoc, Oxford University (England), 1990-91
  • Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, 1989
  • M.S. in Entomology, University of Minnesota, 1983
  • B.A. in Biology (Psychology minor), Hartwick College, NY, 1979

    • Additional Education

  • Tropical Ecology (O.T.S.), Universidad de Costa Rica, 1984
  • General and Med-Vet Acarology, Ohio State University, 1985

    • Positions

     
    Current:
    Professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Utah (since ‘04)
     
    Director, Center for Alternate Strategies of Parasite Removal (since '04)
     
    Adjunct Curator, Utah Museum of Natural History (since '97)
     
    Research Assoc., Natural History Museum, Univ. of Kansas (since '01)
     
    Research Assoc., Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (since '90)
     
    1999-04
    Associate Professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Utah
     
    1996-99
    Assistant Professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Utah
     
    1993-96
    Stipendiary Lecturer, Merton College, Oxford University, England
     
    1991-96
    Departmental Lecturer, Dept. of Zoology, Oxford University, England
     
    1990-91
    NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford University, England
     
    1986-89
    NIH Genetics Training Grant, University of Chicago
     
    1984-85
    Graduate Fellow, Univ. of Chicago & Field Museum of Natural History
     
    1980-83
    Research Assistant, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota
     
    1979
    Field Technician, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama
    Entomology Technician, Smithsonian Institution Washington D.C.

    Professional Honors

    • Secretary, Society for the Study of Evolution, 2006-2008
    • Strickland Memorial Lecture, Univ. Alberta, 2004
    • NSF-CAREER Award, 1997
    • Elective Member, American Ornithologists' Union, 1996
    • NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship - Oxford University, 1990
    • American Ornithologists’ Union Council Award, 1988

    Professional Memberships

    • American Ornithologists' Union (Elective Member, 1996)
    • American Society of Naturalists
    • American Society of Parasitologists
    • Society for the Study of Evolution