​Evolutionary Ecology of Small Mammals
I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in how small mammals allocate resources towards reproduction in terms of time and energy as well as mating decisions.   As reproduction and nutrition are intertwined my research also often includes consideration of animal diets as well as their microbiota. 


​I am delighted to announce that I have joined the Department of Biology at  New Mexico State University.

We are the BEBOP Lab:
Behavioral Ecology and Bat Organismal Physiology.

Given the number of inquiries and promising applicants I am not currently accepting students until the academic year of 2022.  Please reach out at a later date if you are interested in starting in 2022. For more information click HERE.

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​What I spend my time thinking about....

Evolutionary Physiological Ecology

• What constitutes a reproductive delay and why might this physiology evolve?
• What is female sperm storage and how did it evolve?
• What are the costs and trade-offs associated with reproduction?
• Why might reproductive delays have evolved?
• What are the consequences of specialised reproductive modes (delays)?

Sexual
​Selection

• How do female reproductive physiologies impact sexual selection?
• Do bats exhibit sexual conflict?
• Do males co-evolve in the context of female reproductive strategies?
•What evidence of sexual selection do we see in bat genitalia?

Nutritional
Ecology and Microbiota

​• What do animals eat in extreme environments?
• How does the microbiome differ across ecologically and evolutionary relevant scales?
• How do animals navigate toxins in their foods?
• How does diet change in relation to reproduction?
•How does ecology impact the composition of milk in different mammals?​

Mentoring
Future ​Biologists

•What is the role of reproductive pigmentation?  (Jen Delmore-Silva- published this year!)
•How does creosote tolerance differ between woodrat populations? (KayLene Yamada)
•How do specialist kangaroo rats shift their diets with range land encroachment?  (Sydney Stephens)
• Do females evolve morphologies to defray the costs of harmful male genitalia?  (Jennifer Wen)
• What do lactating and pregnant frugivorous bats eat?  (Caitlin Sanchez)

To see the answers to some of these questions click on my CV or the images below.

contact me at: TeriOrr (at) nmsu (dot) edu
“If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.” 
― Charles Darwin, The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809–82