Publications

Click on each publication to get more information (and pdfs):

2023

Fröhlich A, Kotowska D, Martyka R, Symonds MRE (2023) Allometry reveals trade-offs between Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules, and different avian adaptive strategies for thermoregulation. Nature Communications 14: 1101.

2022

McQueen A, Klaassen M, Tattersall GJ, Atkinson R, Jessop R, Hassell CJ, Christie M, Victorian Wader Study Group, Australasian Wader Studies Group, Symonds MRE (2022) Thermal adaptation best explains Bergmann’s and Allen’s rules across ecologically diverse shorebirds. Nature Communications 13: 4727

Johnson TL, Elgar MA, Symonds MRE (2022) Movement and olfactory signals: Sexually dimorphic antennae and female flightlessness in moths. Frontiers in Ecology ands Evolution 10: 919093

Ryding S, Klaassen M, Tattersall GJ, Gardner JL, Symonds MRE (2022) Response to ‘Allometry to evaluate Allen’s rule in climate warming’ by Santoro and Calzada. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 37: 478-479

Hughes KM, Price D, Torriero AAJ, Symonds MRE, Suphioglu C (2022) Impact of fungal spores on asthma prevalence and hospitalisation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23: 4313

Timmis AD, Symonds MRE, Weston MA (2022) The influence of resting posture and orientation on alertness and escape in shorebirds. Journal of Ornithology 163: 509-521

Ekanayake KB, Gnanapragasam JJ, Ranawana K, Vidanapathirana DR, Abeyawardhena UT, Fernando C, McQueen A, Weston MA, Symonds MRE (2022) Ecological and environmental predictors of escape among birds on a large tropical island. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 76: 31

2021

Ryding S, Klaassen M, Tattersall GJ, Gardner JL, Symonds MRE (2021) Shape-shifting: changing animal morphologies as a response to climatic warming. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 36: 1036-1048

Leavey A, Taylor CH, Symonds MRE, Gilbert F, Reader T (2021) Mapping the evolution of accurate Batesian mimicry of social wasps in hoverflies. Evolution 75: 2802-2815

Howard SR, Prendergast K, Symonds MRE, Shrestha M, Dyer AG (2021) Spontaneous choices for insect-pollinated flower shapes by wild non-eusocial halictid bees. Journal of Experimental Biology 224: jeb242457

Gnanapragasam JJ, Ekanayake KB, Ranawana K, Symonds MRE, Weston MA (2021) Civil war is associated with longer escape distances among Sri Lankan birds. American Naturalist 198: 653-659

Weston MA, Radkovic A, Kirao L, Guay P-J, Van Dongen WFD, Malaki P, Blumstein DT, Symonds MRE (2021) Differences in flight-initiation distances between African and Australian birds. Animal Behaviour 179: 235-245

Boxshall A-G, Birch JL, Lebel T, Symonds MRE, Callahan DL (2021) A field-based investigation of simple phenol variation in Australian Agaricus xanthodermus. Mycologia 113: 1123-1135

Griffin MJ, Symonds MRE (2021) Environment and local substrate availability effects on harem foundation in a polygynous bark beetle. Insects 12: 98

Subasinghe K, Symonds MRE, Vidal-Garcia M, Bonnet T, Prober SM, Williams KJ, Gardner JL (2021) Repeatability and validity of phenotypic trait measurements in birds. Evolutionary Biology 48: 100-114

Ryeland J, Weston MA, Symonds MRE (2021) The importance of wetland margin microhabitat mosaics; the case of shorebirds and thermoregulation. Journal of Applied Ecology 58: 382-391

2020

Griffin MJ, Holwell GI, Symonds MRE (2020b) From quiet-night-in to party animal: sex ratio and density affect male/female aggregations in a ‘harem’ polygynous insect. Animal Behaviour 170: 111-118.

Howard SR, Symonds MRE (2020) Ethical considerations for invertebrates. Animal Sentience 29(21)

Onley IR, Gardner JL, Symonds MRE (2020) Spatial and temporal variation in morphology in Australian whistlers and shrike thrushes: is climate change causing larger appendages? Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 130: 101-113

Weston MA, O’Brien C, Kostoglou K, Symonds MRE (2020) Escape responses of terrestrial and aquatic birds to drones: towards a code of practice to minimise disturbance. Journal of Applied Ecology 57: 777-785

Durrant KL, Reader T, Symonds MRE (2020) Pre- and post-copulatory traits working in concert: sexual dichromatism in passerines is associated with sperm morphology. Biology Letters 16: 2019058

Weedon S, Porch N, Symonds MRE (2020) Evolution of male antennal size in moths (Lepidoptera): a comparative test of potential trade-offs and correlated growth in Australian species. Austral Entomology 59: 156-166

Griffin MJ, Holwell GI, Symonds MRE (2020a) Sex ratio and female allocation to harems in a polygynous bark beetle. Austral Entomology 59: 149-155

Medina I, Vega-Trejo R, Wallenius T, Symonds MRE, Stuart-Fox D (2020) From cryptic to colourful: Evolutionary decoupling of larval and adult colour in butterflies. Evolution Letters 4: 34-43

Weston MA, Whisson DA, Symonds MRE, Yarwood M (2020) Persistent spatial gaps in ornithological study in Australia 1901-2011. Archives of Natural History 47, 264-271

2019

Gardner JL, Amano T, Peters A, Sutherland WJ, Mackey B, Joseph L, Stein J, Ikin K, Little R, Smith J, Symonds MRE (2019) Australian songbird body size tracks climate variation: 82 species over 50 years. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 286: 20192258

Symonds MRE (2019) Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 8: Insectivores, Sloths and Colugos. Don E. Wilson and Russell A. Mittermeier (Eds.) [book review] Quarterly Review of Biology 94: 429-430

Ashman KR, Rendall AR, Symonds MRE, Whisson D (2019) Understanding the role of plantations in the abundance of an arboreal folivore. Landscape and Urban Planning 193: 103684

Mawalagedera SMUP, Callahan DL, Gaskett AC, Rønsted N, Symonds MRE (2019) Combining evolutionary inference and metabolomics to identify plants with medicinal potential. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7: 267

Griffin MJ, Holwell GI, Symonds MRE (2019) Insect harem polygyny: when is a harem not a harem? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 73: 40

Ryeland J, Weston MA, Symonds MRE (2019) Leg length and temperature determine the use of unipedal roosting in birds. Journal of Avian Biology 2019: e02008

G Pavlovic, MA Weston, MRE Symonds (2019) Morphology and geography predict the use of heat conservation behaviours across birds. Functional Ecology 33: 286-296.

MA Elgar, TL Johnson, MRE Symonds (2019) Sexual selection and organs of sense: Darwin’s neglected insight. Animal Biology 69: 63-82

MR Yarwood, MA Weston, MRE Symonds (2019) Biological determinants of research effort on Australian birds: a comparative analysis. Emu 119: 38-44

2018

GE Bernard, WFD van Dongen, P-J Guay, MRE Symonds, RW Robinson, MA Weston (2018) Bicycles evoke longer flight-initiation distances and higher intensity escape behaviours in some birds in parks compared with pedestrians. Landscape and Urban Planning 178: 276-280

P-J Guay, R Leppitt, MA Weston, TR Yeager, WFD van Dongen, MRE Symonds (2018) Are the big and beautiful less bold? Differences in avian fearfulness between the sexes in relation to body size and colour. Journal of Zoology 304: 252-259

K McElroy, K Beattie, MRE Symonds, L Joseph (2018) Mitogenomic and nuclear diversity in the Mulga Parrot of the Australian arid zone: cryptic subspecies and tests for selection. Emu 118: 22-35

2017

EJ Tan, CAM Reid, MRE Symonds, JA Jurado-Rivera, MA Elgar (2017) The role of life-history and ecology in the evolution of color patterns in Australian chrysomeline beetles. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 5: 140

TL Johnson, MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2017b) Anticipatory flexibility: larval population density in moths determines male investment in antennae, wings and tests. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 284: 20172087

LK Hodgkin, MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2017) Leadership through knowledge and experience in a social sawfly. Animal Behaviour 134: 177-181.

TL Johnson, MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2017a) Sexual selection on receptor organ traits: younger females attract males with longer antennae. The Science of Nature 104: 44

J Ryeland, MRE Symonds, MA Weston (2017) Measurement techniques for curved shorebirds bills: a comparison of high-tech and low-tech methods. Wader Study 124: 49-54

J Ryeland, MA Weston, MRE Symonds (2017) Bill size mediates behavioural thermoregulation in birds. Functional Ecology 31: 885-893

GJ Tattersall, B Arnaout, MRE Symonds (2017) The evolution of the avian bill as a thermoregulatory organ. Biological Reviews 92: 1630-1656

MRE Symonds (2017) Statistical Methods in Biology: Design and Analysis of Experiments and Regression; by S,J. Welham, S.A. Gezan, S,J. Clark & A. Mead [book review]. Quarterly Review of Biology 92: 175-176

2016

JL Gardner, MRE Symonds, L Joseph, K Ikin, J Stein, LEB Kruuk (2016) Spatial variation in avian bill size is associated with humidity in summer among Australian passerines. Climate Change Responses 3: 11

MRE Symonds, MA Weston, WFD Van Dongen, A Lill, RW Robinson, P-J Guay (2016) Time since urbanisation but not encephalisation is associated with increased tolerance of human proximity in birds. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 4: 117.

KR Ashman, KB McNamara, MRE Symonds (2016) Experimental evolution reveals that population density does not affect moth signalling behaviour and antennal morphology. Evolutionary Ecology 30: 1009-1021

APA Cardilini, KL Buchanan, CDH Sherman, P Cassey, MRE Symonds (2016) Tests of ecogeographical relationships in a non-native species: what rules avian morphology? Oecologia 181: 783-793

MRE Symonds, CW Gitau-Clarke (2016) The evolution of aggregation pheromone diversity in bark beetles. Advances in Insect Physiology 50: 195-234

2015

DJE Campbell-Tennant, JL Gardner, MR Kearney, MRE Symonds (2015) Climate-related spatial and temporal variation in bill morphology over the past century in Australian parrots. Journal of Biogeography 42: 1163-1175

KDL Umbers, MRE Symonds, H Kokko (2015) The mothematics of female pheromone signalling: strategies for ageing virgins. American Naturalist 185: 417-432

OM Grace, S Buerki, MRE Symonds, F Forest, AE Van Wyk, GF Smith, RR Klopper, CS Bjora, S Neale, S Demissew, MSJ Simmonds, N Rønsted (2015) Evolutionary history and leaf succulence as explanations for medicinal use in aloes and the global popularity of Aloe vera. BMC Evolutionary Biology 15: 29

BP Shiel, CDH Sherman, MA Elgar, TL Johnson, MRE Symonds (2015) Investment in sensory structures, testis size and wing coloration in males of a diurnal moth species: trade-offs or correlated growth? Ecology and Evolution 5: 1061-1068

2014

TM Jones, KV Fanson, R Lanfear, MRE Symonds, M Higgie (2014) Gender differences in conference presentations: a consequence of self-selection? PeerJ 2: e627

LK Hodgkin, MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2014) Leaders benefit followers in the collective movement of a social sawfly. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 281: 20141700

MRE Symonds, SP Blomberg (2014) A primer on phylogenetic generalised least squares (PGLS). In: Modern Phylogenetic Comparative Methods and Their Application in Evolutionary Biology: Concepts and Practice (ed. LZ Garamszegi), Chapter 5, pp.105-130. Springer, Berlin.

MRE Symonds  (2014) Lecturing and other face-to-face teaching – too much or too little? An assessment based on student feedback and fail rates. Higher Education Research and Development 33: 1221-1231.

MRE Symonds, MA Weston, RW Robinson, P-J Guay (2014) Comparative analysis of classic brain component sizes in relation to flightiness in birds. PLoS ONE 9: e91960

2013

MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2013) The evolution of body size, antennal size and host use in parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea): a phylogenetic comparative analysis. PLoS ONE 8: e78297

P-J Guay, RDA Lorenz, RW Robinson, MRE Symonds, MA Weston (2013) Distance from water, sex and approach direction influence flight distances among habituated black swans. Ethology 119: 552-558

TS Jessop, R Woodford, MRE Symonds (2013) Macrostress: do large-scale ecological patterns exist in the glucocorticoid stress response of vertebrates? Functional Ecology 27: 120-130

P-J Guay, MA Weston, MRE Symonds, HK Glover (2013) Brains and bravery: Little evidence of a relationship between brain size and flightiness in shorebirds. Austral Ecology 28: 516-522

I-P Chen, MRE Symonds, J Melville, D Stuart-Fox (2013) Factors shaping the evolution of colour patterns in Australian agamid lizards (Agamidae): a comparative study. Biological Journal of the LInnean Society 109: 101-112

2012

N Rønsted, MRE Symonds, T Birkholm, SB Christensen, AW Meerow, M Molander, P Mølgaard, G Petersen, R Rasmussen, J Van Staden, GI Stafford, AK Jäger (2012) Can phylogeny predict chemical diversity and potential medicinal activity in plants? A case study of Amaryllidaceae. BMC Evolutionary Biology 12: 182

I-P Chen, D Stuart-Fox, AF Hugall, MRE Symonds (2012) Sexual selection and the evolution of complex color patterns in dragon lizards, Evolution 66: 3605-3614

MRE Symonds, TL Johnson, MA Elgar (2012) Pheromone production, male abundance, body size and the evolution of elaborate antennae in moths. Ecology and Evolution 2: 227-246

MRE Symonds, MJL Magrath, TM Latty (2012) Reproductive consequences of male arrival order in the bark beetle Ips grandicollis. Journal of Insect Behavior 25: 401-407

2011

MRE Symonds, A Moussalli (2011) A brief guide to model selection, multimodel inference and model averaging in behavioural ecology using Akaike’s Information Criterion, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 65: 13-21

E Van Wilgenburg*, MRE Symonds* (*joint first authors), MA Elgar (2011) Evolution of cuticular hydrocarbon diversity in ants. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 24: 1188-1198.

MA Bassett, JB Baumgartner, MA Hallett, Y Hassan, MRE Symonds (2011) Effects of humidity on the response of the bark beetle Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae:Scolytinae) to synthetic aggregation pheromone. Australian Journal of Entomology 50: 48-51.

2010

MRE Symonds, GJ Tattersall (2010) Geographical variation in bill size across bird species provides evidence for Allen’s rule, American Naturalist 176: 188-197.

LK Hodgkin, MA Elgar, MRE Symonds (2010) Positive and negative effects of phoretic mite species on the reproductive output of an invasive bark beetle. Australian Journal of Zoology 58 (2010), 198-204.

2009

MRE Symonds, A Moussalli, MA Elgar (2009) The mode of evolution of sex pheromones in an ecological diverse genus of flies. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 97: 594-603.

TM Latty, MJL Magrath, MRE Symonds (2009) Harem size and oviposition behaviour in a polygynous bark beetle. Ecological Entomology 34 (2009), 562-568.

LZ Garamszegi, S Calhim, N Dochtermann, G Hegyi, PL Hurd, C Jorgensen, N Kutsukake, MJ Lajeunesse, KA Pollard, H Schielzeth, MRE Symonds, S Nakagawa (2009) Changing philosophies and tools for statistical inference in behavioral ecology. Behavioral Ecology 20: 1363-1375.

2008

MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2008) The evolution of pheromone diversity. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23: 220-228.

MRE Symonds, CN Johnson (2008) Species richness and evenness in Australian birds. American Naturalist 171: 480-490.

2006

MRE Symonds, CN Johnson (2006) Range size-abundance relationships in Australian passerines. Global Ecology and Biogeography 15: 143-152.

MRE Symonds, NJ Gemmell, TL Braisher, KL Gorringe, MA Elgar (2006) Gender differences in publication output: towards an unbiased metric of research performance. PLoS ONE 2: e127.

MRE Symonds, CN Johnson (2006) Determinants of local abundance in a major radiation of Australian passerines (Aves: Meliphagoidea). Journal of Biogeography 33: 794-802.

MRE Symonds, L Christidis, CN Johnson (2006) Latitudinal gradients in abundance, and the causes of rarity in the tropics: a test using Australian honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae). Oecologia 149: 406-417.

2005

MRE Symonds (2005) Phylogeny and life histories of the ‘Insectivora’: controversies and consequences. Biological Reviews 80: 93-128.

TL Braisher, MRE Symonds, NJ Gemmell (2005) Publication success in Nature and Science is not gender dependent. BioEssays 27: 858-859.

MRE Symonds, B Wertheim (2005) The mode of evolution of aggregation pheromones in Drosophila species. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 18: 1253-1263.

2004

MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2004) The mode of pheromone evolution: evidence from bark beetles. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B 271: 839-846.

MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2004) Species overlap, speciation and the evolution of aggregation pheromones in bark beetles. Ecology Letters 7: 202-212.

MRE Symonds (2004) Nature and Science know best. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19: 564.

GS Gage, M de L Brooke, MRE Symonds, DL Wege (2004) Ecological correlates of the threat of extinction in Neotropical bird species. Animal Conservation 7: 161-168.

BT Bjorkman-Chiswell, MM Kulinski, RL Muscat, KL Nguyen, BA Norton, MRE Symonds, GE Westhorpe, MA Elgar (2004) Web-building spiders attract prey by storing decaying matter. Naturwissenschaften 91: 245-248

2002

MRE Symonds (2002) The effects of topological inaccuracy in evolutionary trees on the phylogenetic comparative method of independent contrasts. Systematic Biology 51: 541-553.

MRE Symonds, MA Elgar (2002) Phylogeny affects estimation of metabolic scaling in mammals. Evolution 56: 2330-2333.

1999

MRE Symonds (1999) Life histories of the Insectivora: the role of phylogeny, metabolism and sex differences. Journal of Zoology 249: 315-337.

MRE Symonds (1999) Insectivore life histories: further evidence against an optimum body size for mammals. Functional Ecology 13: 508-513.

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