Christine Miller

I am interested in the evolutionary interplay of animal weapons and behaviour

Research Area

Across the earth, animals engage in conflict that comes in a dizzying variety of forms. Agonistic encounters may involve electrical fields, shock waves, venoms, high heat, and lethal blows. Animal weapons can be fierce and varied in their manner of expression, and they display extraordinary diversity even within closely related groups.

We use experimentation to understand the evolution of mechanical weapon size, shape, and function within species, and we use phylogenetic comparative analyses to understand cumulative changes in weapons across species. Ultimately, our interest is on the evolutionary interplay of morphology and behaviour, and weapons and physical combat provide an outstanding opportunity to understand this interaction.

We test our hypotheses using a superfamily of insects called the leaf-footed bugs. This group includes ~3,300 species in five extant families, and it is one of only a few animal groups that produce weapons on the hind legs. In some of these species the hind legs exhibit extreme modifications including robust spines, club-like expansions, flags, and serrations. The diversity of their hind leg shapes, their ecology, and their behaviours provide outstanding opportunities for our work.

Project Interests

I would be interested in co-developing a project on the evolution of animal weapons focused on the evolution of the traits that allow animal weapons to function well, such as muscle, robust skeleton, the ability to anchor well to a surface, and skilful behaviour. For example, fighting skill might be crucial for success in contests, but this topic has rarely been explored. What is more important – a big weapon, or fighting with excellent skill? And, to what extent does the ability to resist injury enhance fighting success? These topics are timely, exciting, and underexplored.