As a cognitive ecologist, I am interested in the evolution of animal cognition, communication systems, and mate choice. I am particularly fascinated by the individual variation in cognitive abilities in birds and how these abilities impact their mating and reproductive success.
My research in a nutshell
Social breeding & cognition
Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms that have shaped animal cognition is a cornerstone of animal behavior research. Cognitive processes govern many aspects of an individual’s life and thus cognitive abilities have an immense impact on fitness. In order to understand how animal cognition has evolved, it is paramount to quantify individual variation in cognitive traits across individuals, to examine non-cognitive factors that potentially influence this variation, and to examine fitness consequences of cognition.
Barn swallows breed either in solitary pairs or in colonies with multiple breeding pairs. Therefore, this species is an ideal system to make ecologically and phylogenetically controlled comparisons of cognitive traits among individuals of the same population with a varying degree of sociality.I obtained an NSF postdoctoral fellowship to evaluate the impacts of social breeding on the evolution of cognitive traits.
Barn swallows breed either in solitary pairs or in colonies with multiple breeding pairs. Therefore, this species is an ideal system to make ecologically and phylogenetically controlled comparisons of cognitive traits among individuals of the same population with a varying degree of sociality.I obtained an NSF postdoctoral fellowship to evaluate the impacts of social breeding on the evolution of cognitive traits.
Female choice & male cognitive performance
Cognitive abilities are critical for gaining access to valuable resources. In socially monogamous birds with biparental care, choosing a male with high cognitive abilities might strongly influence the reproductive success of a female. However, the role of female mate choice in the evolution of cognitive skills is still poorly understood. My results show an intriguing role of male cognitive abilities in both male mating success and reproductive success. More on results of this study coming up soon!
Personality and cognitive performance
Animals exhibit different personality types (e.g. bold vs. shy), also commonly referred to as ‘behavioral syndromes’. These personality types are often defined based on consistency of exploratory behaviors as well as physiological responses, such as the ability to respond to stressful situations. Along with behavioral traits, these physiological responses are defined as ‘copying styles’ (e.g. proactive vs. reactive). Copying styles can potentially influence a bird’s ability to exploit novel food sources or find new sources of food, which require a suite of cognitive abilities. I explored the effects of personality on cognitive performance in captive budgerigars by measuring multiple behavioral traits as well as their response to stress. Although stress response was not a predictor of cognitive performance, we showed that personality is linked to performance in some, but not all cognitive tasks. This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Jodie Jawor. Read the article here.
Effects of the audience on male song structure
The warble is a very complex and plastic song only produced by male budgerigars. It is thought that this song plays a major role in reproduction by stimulating female reproductive behaviors. However, it is still unclear why male budgerigars also warble to males. As a first approach to this question, we investigated the acoustic differences between warble songs directed toward males and directed toward females. This work was conducted by Cole Tobin for his undergraduate thesis with the support of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Program. Read the article here.
Evolution of contact calls in Neotropical parrots
Learned behaviors have been traditionally though to evolve faster than other traits (e.g. morphological traits). We evaluated the evolutionary rate of learned contact calls of Neotropical parrots and the interplay of morphology and ecology in the evolution of these signals. We did not find support for the acoustic adaption hypothesis. We did find support for correlated evolution of call duration, and call frequency with morphological measures. More importantly, we demonstrate that parrot contact calls, which are learned acoustic signals, show similar evolutionary rates to morphological traits. This research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Marcelo Araya-Salas and Dr. Timothy Wright. Read the article here.
Exploring female preference for male melanic pigmentation patterns in a Malawian cichlid
Creating a 3D model of a male zebra cichlid (left) and female zebra cichlid (right). I studied female mate preferences in the African Cichlid Metraclima zebra from Lake Malawi. I used computer animations of males to test female preference for dark barring patterns on the male. I hypothesized that females identify conspecific males from heterospecifics by the patterns of dark barring. Females showed no preference for the conspecific male even when a model of a heterospecific male was presented to them. This research was conducted in Bowling Green State University under the supervision of Dr. Moira van Staaden. Learn more about this study here.
Intra and inter specific aggressive displays in birds
Two Blue-grey tanagers (Thraupis episcopus) fighting over food. For my undergraduate thesis I studied the aggressive interactions among birds that visited an artificial feeder in Caracas, Venezuela. I tested the idea that different species modify the visual (i.e. postures) and acoustic components (i.e. aggressive vocalizations) according to the identity (i.e. species) of the receptor. My results suggest that aggressive displays are conserved across the avian species examined and they are not modified according to the species of the receptor. This research was conducted at the Instituto de Biología Experimental, Universidad Central de Venezuela under the supervision of Dr. Zaida Tárano and Dr. Luis Levin.
Lactation
As a science mom, I am also interested in conducting research that contributes to healthier mothers, babies, and families overall. The benefits of breastfeeding are innumerable for both baby and mother. However, just like many first-time mothers, I initially had a very difficult breastfeeding experience. Fortunately, I found an incredible support program in my community, led by a compassionate lactation consultant. Having had such a positive experience, I want to use data to further legitimize the usefulness and value of this kind of lactation support for new mothers. My study investigates how different kinds of breastfeeding support can help mothers extend their breastfeeding journey. I designed an online survey as the main data collection tool to uncover how lactation support helps mothers to extend breastfeeding.
Publications
Peer reviewed
Medina-García, A., Wright, T.F. 2021. An integrative measure of cognitive performance, but not individual task performance, is linked to male reproductive output in budgerigars. Sci Rep11, 11775. Link
Tobin, C., Medina-García, A., Khon, G., and Timothy F. Wright. In press. Does audience affect the structure of warble song in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)? Link
Medina-García, A., Jawor, J., and Wright T.F. 2017. Cognition, personality, and stress in budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus. Behavioral Ecology, 28 (6): 1504-15156. Link
Medina-García, A.*, Araya-Salas*, M. and Wright, T.F. Does vocal learning accelerate acoustic diversification? Evolution of contact calls in Neotropical parrots. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 28 (10): 1782-1792. Link
Sanz, V., L. Oviol, A. Medina and R. Moncada. 2010. Avifauna of Nueva Esparta state (Venezuela): Historical inventory and current list with new records of species and reproduction. Interciencia, 35(05): 329-339. (Spanish) Link
* Contributed equally
Other publications
Medina García, A. 2011. Exploring female mate preference for male melanic pigmentation patterns in the Malawian cichlid Metriaclima zebra. Master’s Thesis in Biology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Link
Medina, A., Z. Tárano y L. Levin. 2008. Characterization of the threat displays of birds that compete for food. Memorias del instituto de Biología Experimental, 5: 30-34. (Spanish)
Medina García, A. 2005. Coadaptation of aggressive displays in urban birds that visit an artificial feeder. Bachelor’s Thesis in Biology, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. (Spanish)
Medina-García, A., Wright, T.F. 2021. An integrative measure of cognitive performance, but not individual task performance, is linked to male reproductive output in budgerigars. Sci Rep11, 11775. Link
Tobin, C., Medina-García, A., Khon, G., and Timothy F. Wright. In press. Does audience affect the structure of warble song in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)? Link
Medina-García, A., Jawor, J., and Wright T.F. 2017. Cognition, personality, and stress in budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus. Behavioral Ecology, 28 (6): 1504-15156. Link
Medina-García, A.*, Araya-Salas*, M. and Wright, T.F. Does vocal learning accelerate acoustic diversification? Evolution of contact calls in Neotropical parrots. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 28 (10): 1782-1792. Link
Sanz, V., L. Oviol, A. Medina and R. Moncada. 2010. Avifauna of Nueva Esparta state (Venezuela): Historical inventory and current list with new records of species and reproduction. Interciencia, 35(05): 329-339. (Spanish) Link
* Contributed equally
Other publications
Medina García, A. 2011. Exploring female mate preference for male melanic pigmentation patterns in the Malawian cichlid Metriaclima zebra. Master’s Thesis in Biology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Link
Medina, A., Z. Tárano y L. Levin. 2008. Characterization of the threat displays of birds that compete for food. Memorias del instituto de Biología Experimental, 5: 30-34. (Spanish)
Medina García, A. 2005. Coadaptation of aggressive displays in urban birds that visit an artificial feeder. Bachelor’s Thesis in Biology, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela. (Spanish)