Evolutionary Genetics of Social Behaviour

Dr Chris Cunningham

The burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides

Group Overview

Objective. My research group interrogates the mechanistic basis and evolutionary genetics of parental behaviour and, more generally, social behaviour. We use molecular genetics and genomics to interrogate the molecular substrates of parental care of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. My research group also has several collaborations

Research Areas. Social behaviour, Genetics, Epigenetics, Social Neuroscience

Associated Research Projects

Project 1. The genetic and epigenetic basis of parental care of the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides.

Project 2 (completed). The application of solid state chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) for epigenetic profiling of insects.

Affiliated Staff

Dr Christopher Cunningham

Latest Research News and Updates

https://news.uga.edu/evolution-of-parenting/

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evo.13301

Publications

2018 Cunningham CB, Ji L, McKinney EC, Benowitz KM, Schmitz RJ, Moore AJ. Changes of gene expression but not cytosine methylation are associated with plasticity of male parental care reflecting behavioural state, social context, and individual flexibility. in review. bioRxiv: doi.org/10.1101/139634

2017 Benowitz KM, McKinney EC, Roy-Zokan EM, Cunningham CB, Moore AJ. The role of lipid metabolism during parental care in two species of burying beetle (Nicrophorus spp.). Animal Behaviour 129, 143-149.

2017 Benowitz KM, McKinney EC, Cunningham CB, Moore AJ. Relating quantitative variation within a behaviour to variation in transcription. Evolution 71, 1999-2009.

2017 Mehlferber EC, Benowitz KM, Roy-Zokan EM, McKinney EC, Cunningham CB, Moore AJ. Duplication and sub/neofunctionalization of malvolio, an insect homolog of Nramp, in the subsocial beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. G3: GENES, GENOMES, GENETICS 7, 3393-3403.

2017 Cunningham CB, Badgett MJ, Meagher RM, Orlando R, Moore AJ. Ethological principles predict the neuropeptides co-opted to influence parenting. Nature Communications 8, 14225.

2017 Carrier DR, and Cunningham CB. The effect of foot posture on striking, grappling, and rapid turning. Biology Open 6, 269-277.

2016 Cunningham CB, van den Heuvel K, Khana D, and Moore AJ. The role of neuropeptide F in a transition to parental care. Biology Letters 12, 20160158.

2015 Cunningham CB, Li J, Wiberg A, Shelton J, McKinney EC, Parker DJ, Meagher RB, Benowitz KM, Roy-Zokan E, Ritchie MG, Brown SJ, Schmitz RJ, and Moore AJ. The genome and methylome of a beetle with complex social behaviour, Nicrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera: Silphidae). Genome Biology and Evolution 12, 3383-3396.

2015 Parker DJ, Cunningham CB, Walling CA, Stamper CE, Head ML, Roy-Zokan E, McKinney EC, Ritchie MG, and Moore AJ. Transcriptomes of parents help identify parenting strategies and sexual conflict in a subsocial beetle. Nature Communication 6, 8449.

2015 Roy-Zokan EM, Cunningham CB, Hebb LE, McKinney EC, and Moore AJ. Vitellogenin and vitellogenin receptor gene expression is associated with male and female parenting in a subsocial insect. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282, rspb.2015.0787.

2015 Nelson A*, Cunningham CB*, Ruff JS, and Potts WK. Protein pheromone expression levels predict and respond to the formation of social dominance networks. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 28, 1213-1224. *= co-first authors

2015 Cunningham CB, Douthit MK, and Moore AJ. Expression of octopaminergic receptor genes in four non-neural tissues in female Nicrophorus vespilloides beetles. Insect Science 22, 495-502.

2014 Cunningham CB, Douthit MK, and Moore AJ. Octopaminergic gene expression and flexible social behaviour in the subsocial burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides. Insect Molecular Biology, 23, 391-404.

2013 Cunningham CB, Ruff J, Chase K, Potts WK and Carrier DR. Competitive ability in male house mice (Mus musculus): Genetics influences. Behaviour Genetics 43, 151-160.