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Julia B. Saltz
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology
e-mail:[email protected]
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Ph.D. Population Biology (2011) University of California,
Davis
A.B. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (2005) Princeton
University, Princeton, NJ
Primary Department
Department of BioSciences
Department Affiliations
 Department of BioSciences
Websites
Saltz Lab website
Research Areas
evolution, development and genetics of social behavior
Research Statement
My work aims to understand the development
and evolution of intra-population individual
differences in behavior, with a particular focus on
social behaviors. Why do individuals of the same
species develop dramatic differences in behavior?
How is this diversity maintained in the face of
selection and drift? To address these questions, I
work to integrate evolutionary ecology and
psychology with quantitative, population and
functional genetics, using the fruit fly Drosophila
melanogaster.
Pubmed Search for articles by JB Saltz
Teaching Areas
animal behavior
Selected Publications
Refereed articles
Saltz, JB; Dunham, JP; Chang, PL; Cheng, K*; and Nuzhdin, SV. Indirect genetic effects
mediate male mating success in groups of Drosophila melanogaster (in progress).
Saltz, JB; Lymer, S; and Nuzhdin SV. The G of g: Predicting and testing genetic correlations
among learning types and pupation plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster.
Foley, BR; Saltz, JB; Nuzhdin, SV; and Marjoram, P. 2015. A Bayesian approach to social
structure uncovers cryptic regulation of group dynamics. The American Naturalist 185(6):797808.
Saltz, JB Genetic variation in social preference predicts male behavioural development
in Drosophila melanogaster (submitted).
Saltz, JB; Geiger, A; Anderson, R*; Johnson, B*; and Marren, R*. What, if anything, is a
social niche? Evolutionary Ecology (in press).
Saltz, JB; Lymer, S; and Nuzhdin SV. The G of g: Predicting and testing genetic correlations
among learning types and pupation plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster (in revision).
Saltz, JB; Stamps, JA; and Sih A. Social gene-environment correlation (in progress).
Saltz JB, Nuzhdin SV. Genetic variation in niche construction and its implications: response to
Shuker. Trends Ecol Evol. 2014; 29(6):304-5.
Saltz JB, Nuzhdin SV. Genetic variation in niche construction: implications for development
and evolutionary genetics. Trends Ecol Evol. 2014 Jan; 29(1):8-14.
Ardekani R, Biyani A, Dalton JE, Saltz JB, Arbeitman MN, Tower J, Nuzhdin S, Tavaré S.
Three-dimensional tracking and behaviour monitoring of multiple fruit flies. J R Soc Interface.
2013 Jan 6; 10(78):20120547.
Conrad JL, Weinersmith KL, Brodin T, Saltz JB, Sih A. Behavioural syndromes in fishes: a
review with implications for ecology and fisheries management. J Fish Biol. 2011 Feb;
78(2):395-435.
Miller PM, Saltz JB, Cochrane VA, Marcinkowski CM, Mobin R, Turner TL. Natural variation in
decision-making behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS One. 2011 Jan 20; 6(1):e16436.
Saltz JB. Genetic composition of social groups influences male aggressive behaviour and
fitness in natural genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster. Proc Biol Sci. 2013 Sep 25;
280(1771):20131926.
Saltz JB. Natural genetic variation in social environment choice: context-dependent geneenvironment correlation in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution. 2011 Aug; 65(8):2325-34.
Saltz JB, Alicuben ET, Grubman J, Harkenrider M, Megowan N, Nuzhdin SV. Nonadditive
indirect effects of group genetic diversity on larval viability in Drosophila melanogaster imply
key role of maternal decision-making. Mol Ecol. 2012 May; 21(9):2270-81.
Saltz JB, Foley BR. Natural genetic variation in social niche construction:social effects of
aggression drive disruptive sexual selection in Drosophila melanogaster. Am Nat. 2011 May;
177(5):645-54
Stamps JA, Saltz JB, Krishnan VV. Genotypic differences in behavioural entropy: unpredictable
genotypes are composed of unpredictable individuals. Anim Behav. 2013 Sep; 86(3):641649.
Presentations
Invited Talks
"You are who you "friend": What fruit flies tell us about how genes shape the social
environment." Rice Science Cafe, Houston, TX. (Jan 5)
Saltz, JB. Genetic variation in social niche construction: implications for development, genetics
and evolution. Oral presentation during the New Perspectives on Niche Construction
Symposium, 2014 meeting of the American Society of Naturalists, Asilomar, CA.
"Invited participant and speaker, Frontiers in Niche Construction Workshop, Santa Fe
Institute, NM."
"Opening talk and research seminar at the New Perspectives on Niche Construction
Symposium at the American Society of Naturalists meeting."
Saltz, JB. Introduction to the symposium. Oral presentation during the New Perspectives on
Niche Construction Symposium, 2014 meeting of the American Society of Naturalists,
Asilomar, CA.
Saltz, JB; Dunham, J.D.; Chang, P.L.; Cheng, K.; and Nuzhdin, SV. Social rGE predicts
plasticity in aggression and reproductive fitness among natural genotypes of Drosophila
melanogaster. Oral presentation, 2014 International Society for Behavioral Ecology meeting,
New York, NY.
Seminar Speaker
University of Illinois - Implications of Gene-Environment Interplay for the Evolution of
Behavior: Insights from Drosophila melanogaster
Invited Seminar. "Baylor University."
Louisiana State University - Implications of Gene-Environment Interplay for the Evolution of
Behavior: Insights From Drosophila melanogaster
Invited Seminar. "North Dakota State University."
Saltz, JB; Nuzhdin, S; Lymer, S; and Gabrielian, J. Predicting behavioral syndromes a priori
using
functional information in Drosophila. Oral presentation, 2015 Animal Behavior Society
Meeting, Anchorage, AK
University of Arizona - Implications of Gene-Environment Interplay for the Evolution of
Behavior: Insights From Drosophila melanogaster
"Rice University invited seminar, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology ."
"University of Georgia invited seminar, Genetics Department."
"University of Wisconsin-Madison invited seminar, Zoology Department."
Supervised Theses & Dissertations
Brad Ochocki, PhD Does evolution accelerate the speed of biological invasions?. (2017)
(Committee Member)
Eric Wice, Ph.D. TBD. (Thesis or Dissertation Director)
Brad Ochoki, Ph.D. TBD. (Committee Member)
Jae Hak Son, Ph.D. TBD. (Committee Member)
Awards, Prizes, & Fellowships
Houston Fly Group Service Award,
Positions Held
Member, Animal Behavior Society. (2007 - 2015)
Member, American Society of Naturalists. (2007 - 2015)