David A. Gray


Assistant Professor

Ph.D. University of New Mexico

Department of Biology
California State University, Northridge
18111 Nordhoff Street
Northridge, CA 91330-8303

email: dave.gray@csun.edu
Phone: (818) 677-7653  Fax: (818) 677-2034
Office: Science 1312


I study the evolution of insect behavior, mostly sexual signaling and its consequences in crickets.  This necessarily integrates the fields of animal behavior, behavioral and evolutionary genetics, and evolutionary ecology.  My work attempts to address both the microevolutionary and macroevolutionary causes and consequences of mate choice.  This research has both field and laboratory components, and uses a broad range of techniques from molecular and quantitative genetics through bioacoustic and behavioral approaches.

Crickets are a fabulous system for answering a wide range of evolutionary questions and are also extremely well suited for student research.  Inquiries from students interested in undergraduate or graduate work are always welcome.

Lab home page: http://www.csun.edu/~dgray

Class information: http://www.csun.edu/~dgray/teaching.html

Some selected publications.

Gray, D. A. & Eckhardt, G. 2001.  Is cricket courtship song condition dependent?  Animal Behaviour, 62: 871-877.

Gray, D. A. & Cade, W. H. 2000.  Sexual selection and speciation in field crickets.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 97: 14449-14454.

Kiflawi, M. & Gray, D. A. 2000. Size-dependent response to conspecific mating calls by male crickets. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B 267: 2157-2161.

Martin, S. D., Gray, D. A. & Cade, W. H. 2000. Fine-scale temperature effects on cricket calling song. Canadian Journal of Zoology 78: 706-712.

Gray, D. A. & Cade, W. H. 1999. Quantitative genetics of sexual selection in the field cricket, Gryllus integer. Evolution 53: 848-854.

Gray, D. A. & Cade, W. H. 1999. Sex, death and genetic variation: natural and sexual selection on cricket song.  Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, B 266: 707-709.

Gray, D. A. 1997. Female house crickets, Acheta domesticus, prefer the chirps of large males.  Animal Behaviour 54: 1553-1562.

Gray, D. A. 1996. Carotenoids and sexual dichromatism in North American passerine birds. American Naturalist 148: 453-480.