Ph.D. Student, Physiology
M.S. Life Sciences, Indiana State University
Advisor: Dr. Michael J. Angilletta
Ph.D. Dissertation Comittee: Theodore Garland, Jr. (Major Professor), David Reznick, Mark Chappell,
I am interested in evolutionary and ecological physiology of ectotherms, along with geographic variation of life-history traits. For my Master’s thesis I examined the evolution of growth and development in embryos of the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Sceloporus undulatus is geographically wide-spread, with larger individuals inhabiting colder environments. Despite the reduced opportunities for growth in colder environments, I found that individuals from these populations tend to develop faster and allocate a greater proportion of available energy to growth. Additionally, I tested previous theoretical predictions of optimal egg size in relation to environmental temperature intraspecifically, among populations of S. undulatus, and interspecifically among species of Phrynosomatidae.
For my Ph.D. dissertation, I am examing sexual selection in relation to locomotor performance, morphology, and physiology in swordtails (Xiphophorus). My work has recently been funded by the National Science Foundation via a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (abstract).
Publications:
Angilletta, M. J., C. E. Oufiero, and M. W. Sears. 2004. Thermal adaptation of maternal and embryonic phenotypes in a geographically widespread lizard. Pp. 258-266 in S. Morris and A. Vosloo, eds. Animals and Environments. Proceedings of the Third International Conference of Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry. Elsevier Press. International Congress Series 1275:258-266. [PDF file]
Angilletta, M. J., C. E. Oufiero, and A. D. Leache. 2006. Direct and indirect effects of environmental temperature on the evolution of reproductive strategies: an information-theoretic approach. American Naturalist 168:E123-E135. [PDF file]
Oufiero, C. E., and M. J Angilletta. 2006. Convergent evolution of embryonic growth and development in the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Evolution 60:1066-1075. [PDF file]
Oufiero, C. E., and M. J. Angilletta. Embryo energetics at fluctuating temerpatures. In preparation. To be submitted to Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.
Oufiero, C. E., A. J. Smith, and M. J. Angilletta. Accepted. The importance of energetic versus pelvic constraints on reproductive allocation by the eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
Oufiero, C. E., and T. Garland, Jr. 2007. Evaluating performance costs of sexually selected traits. Functional Ecology 21:676-689. [PDF file]