| Ron Coleman |
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| Ron Coleman |
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Dr. Ron Coleman
Dept. Biological Sciences, 6000 J Street
California State University Sacramento
Sacramento, CA 95819-6077
Tel: (916) 278-3474
email: rcoleman@csus or rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
I am a biologist by profession. I am an Associate Professor at California State University, Sacramento and teach courses on Ichthyology (the study of fishes), Fisheries Biology, Animal Behavior and other related topics. In my research, I am particularly interested in the behavior and ecology of fishes. Specifically, I am what is called an evolutionary ecologist, which means that I try to understand behavior in the context of the organism's whole life and in terms of how the behavior evolved by natural selection.
I am interested in cichlids from two angles, both as a scientist and a hobbyist. On the hobbyist side, it is hard to beat cichlids as entertaining and just plain interesting animals to have around. They are intelligent and curious creatures that come in so many shapes, sizes and colours that I find it hard to believe that anyone could not be fascinated by them.
Many of these same qualities of cichlids make them fascinating to me as a scientist. The sheer diversity of the family offers countless opportunities to evolutionary biologists like myself.
The goal of my research is to understand the key processes that shape the characteristics of organisms. Those characteristics might be solid physical things, like the size of the body, or more intangible things like behavior.
The approach I use is called life history theory which in a nutshell argues that most every aspect of an organism is the product of tradeoffs. This means that there are costs and benefits to every aspect of organismal design. For example, why is the giraffe's neck so long? The giraffe gains many benefits from its long neck: the ability to forage on vegetation far above the ground, the ability to see potential predators at great distances, etc. But, balanced against these benefits are an equal number of costs: giraffes have great difficulty drinking, they aren't very well balanced, can't jump hardly at all, and are pretty easy to spot at great distances as well.
As I see it, the goal of modern biology is to understand the costs and benefits of the characteristics of organisms we see around us. In this way, we can hope to understand what is "driving" nature and this will allow us to make intelligent choices on this ever-more-crowded planet.
Cichlids, are nature's gift to the evolutionary biologist. So many questions of evolutionary biology are stifled because of the lack of diversity in many groups of organisms. For example, the North American sunfish are a fabulously interesting group of fishes and few things can match a male bluegill sunfish protecting his nest and babies. And yet, we can never answer the question of why it is the male bluegill that guards his nest rather than the female by studying sunfish. Why? Because it is the same for all sunfish. All species in the family exhibit male care so we have nothing to compare them with. This is not the case in cichlids. There are so many cichlids, doing so many different things, that we can look into this vast treasure chest of diversity and seek out comparisions to help illuminate the biology we see. In vertebrates, cichlids are unmatched for this breadth of opportunity.
2010-now. Associate Professor. California State University, Sacramento, CA
2001-2010. Assistant Professor/Instructor. California State University, Sacramento, CA
2001. Lecturer, Tropical Ecology (Costa Rica), Trent University, Peterborough, ON
2000. Lecturer, Ichthyology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
2000. Lecturer, Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA
1999. Lecturer, Tropical Ecology (Costa Rica), Trent University, Peterborough, ON
1999, Lecturer, Honors Evolution, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
1998, Lecturer, Ecology, Univeristy of California, Davis, CA
1998, Lecturer, Evolution, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
1998, Lecturer, Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA
1997, Lecturer, Human Anatomy, University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA
1997, Lecturer, Ichthyology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1997, Lecturer, Introductory Biology for Non-Majors, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1995, PostDoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1994, Lecturer, Ichthyology, University of California, Berkeley, CA
1992-1994, NSERC of Canada PostDoctoral Fellow, University of California, Berkeley, CA
PostDoctoral Fellow, Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 1992-1998.
Ph.D., Department of Zoology, University of Toronto, 1993
Thesis: The evolution of parental investment in fishesM.Sc., Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 1986
Thesis: Parental investment theory: tests in bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus: Centrarchidae).B.Sc., Zoology, 1st class, University of British Columbia, 1983
I am interested in evolutionary ecology, particularly the evolution of parental investment allocation behaviour and the origin and maintenance of parental care states in animals. My research involves theoretical modelling of parental investment using life-history and game theory, and manipulative experiments in both the field and laboratory predominantly using sunfish and cichlids. My most recent research concerns the evolution of egg size, combining a parental investment perspective with biomechanics, ecomorphology and ecophysiology. In addition, I have been involved in theoretical research on the evolution of strain-structure in parasite populations.
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Grasso, R., Coleman, R.M, and C. Davidson. (2010). Palatability and
antipredator response of Yosemite toads (Anaxyrus canorus) to
nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Sierra
Nevada mountains of California. Copeia in press.
Barley, A.J., Coleman, R.M. (2010). Habitat structure directly affects
aggression in convict cichlids Archocentrus nigrofasciatus.
Current Zoology 56:52-56.
Stewart, M.M., Coleman, R.M. and W.L. Montgomerey. (2004) George W.
Barlow. Copeia 2004:945-951.
Galvani A.P., Coleman, R.M. and N.M. Ferguson (2003) The maintenance
of sex in parasites. Proceedings of the Royal Society of
London: Biological Sciences 270:19-28.
Coleman R.M. [Editor] (2001) Cichlid Research: State of the Art.
Special issue of the Journal of Aquariculture and Aquatic
Sciences. 392 pp.
Coleman R.M. (2001) The predator of guppies on Trinidad is the
pike cichlid Crenicichla frenata, not Crenicichla alta: a
caution about working with cichlids. Journal of Aquariculture
and Aquatic Sciences 9:89-92.
Galvani, A.P., R.M. Coleman and N.M. Ferguson. (2001) Antigenic
diversity and the selective value of sex in
parasites. Annales Zoologici Fennici 38:305-314.
Coleman R.M. (1999) Parental Care in Intertidal Fishes.
Pp. 165-180 in Intertidal Fishes: Life in Two
Worlds (Eds. Horn, M.H., Martin, K.L.M. and M.A.
Chotkowski), Academic Press, New York.
Galvani A.P. and R.M. Coleman (1998). Do parental convict
cichlids of different sizes value the same brood size
equally? Animal Behaviour 56:541-546.
Borslien D. et al. (1998) The influence of brood number on
parental investment in the convict cichlid fish,
Archocentrus nigrofasciatus. Berkeley
Scientific 2:63-66.
Coleman R.M. and A.P. Galvani (1998). Egg size determines
offspring size in Neotropical cichlid fishes.
Copeia 1998:209-213.
Coleman R.M. (1997) Geographic Distribution. Diploglossus
monotropis. Herpetological Review 28:210.
Coleman R.M. (1994). Using SigmaScan for measuring fish eggs.
Journal of NIH Research 6:76.
Coleman R.M. (1992). Reproductive biology and female
parental care in the cockscomb prickleback Anoplarchus
purpurescens (Pisces: Stichaeidae). Environmental
Biology of Fishes 35:177-186.
Coleman R.M. and M.R. Gross (1992). Reply to Jokela and
Vuorisalo. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 7:169.
Coleman R.M. and M.R. Gross (1991). The role of past
investment in parental investment theory. Trends in
Ecology and Evolution 6:404-406.
Coleman R.M. (1991). Measuring parental investment in
nonspherical eggs. Copeia 1991:1092-1098.
Coleman R.M. and R.U. Fischer (1991). Brood size, male
fanning effort and the energetics of a nonshareable
parental investment in bluegill sunfish, Lepomis
macrochirus (Teleostei: Centrarchidae). Ethology
87:177-188.
Coleman R.M. and R.D. Whittall (1990). Variation in egg
weight in the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata var
domestica). Canadian Journal of Zoology
68:272-275.
Coleman R.M. and R.D. Whittall (1988). Clutch size and the
cost of incubation in the Bengalese finch (Lonchura
striata var domestica). Behavioral Ecology and
Sociobiology 23:367-372.
Gross M.R., Coleman R.M. and R.D. McDowall (1988). Aquatic
productivity and the evolution of diadromous fish
migration. Science 239:1291-1293.
Coleman R.M. (1987). Does experience with predators affect
parental investment? Auk 104:791-792.
Coleman R.M., Gross M.R. and R.C. Sargent (1985). Parental
investment decision rules: a test in bluegill sunfish.
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 18:59-66.
I wrote a column called "Cichlids and Science" for Cichlid News magazine that appeared four times a year. These articles synthesize recent scientific publications about cichlids, focussing on behaviour, ecology and evolution. A few of these are available online at the Cichlid Room Companion. Look for links below. A number of these have now been updated and published in Polish in Akwaforum magazine.
Hilber, S.A, Coleman R.M. (2006) Cichlid Research and Adventures in Costa Rica. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 54:108-112.
Coleman R. (2002) Determinacja plci [] In Polish. Akwaforum 4:60-61. Coleman R. (2002) Zadziwiajacy aparat gebowy [] In Polish. Akwaforum 3:49-50. Coleman R. (2002) Cichlids and Science: Powerful Predators. Cichlid News 11(1):31-34. Coleman R. (2002) Wlasciwie czyje sa te dzieci? [Whose kids are those?] In Polish. Akwaforum 2:62-64. Coleman R. (2001) Cichlids and Science: The Riddle of Lake Victoria. Cichlid News 10(4):32-34. Coleman R.M. (2001) Ile lat ma jezioro Wiktorii [How old is Lake Victoria?] In Polish. Akwaforum 1:54-55. Coleman R. (2001) Cichlids and Science: Bad Cichlids? Cichlid News 10(2):26-27. Available online Coleman R. (2001) Cichlids and Science: Feeding Frenzy. Cichlid News10(1):32-34. Coleman R. (2000) Cichlids and Science: Food for Thought. Cichlid News 9(3):32-34. Available online Coleman R. (2000) Costa Rican cichlids: Life in the Fast Lane. Buntbarsche Bulletin 198:7-26. Coleman R. (2000) Cichlids and Science: Nest for Success. Cichlid News 9(2):32-34. Available online Coleman R. (2000) Cichlids and Science: Revealing Relationships. Cichlid News 9(1):32-34. Available online Coleman R. (2000) Review of "Fishes of Costa Rica" by W.A. Bussing Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 23(1):206-207. Coleman R. (1999) Cichlids and Science: Speculating about species. Cichlid News 8(4):32-34. Available online Coleman R. (1999) Becoming a Cichlid Researcher: The Long and Winding Road... MACK Attack 7:3-4. Coleman R. (1999) Cichlids and Science: Choosing a Mate. Cichlid News 8(3):32-34. Available online Coleman R. (1999) Cichlids and Science: Fighting. Cichlid News 8(2):32-33. Available online Coleman R. (1999) Cichlids of the Rio Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Cichlid News 8(1):6-12. Available online Coleman R. (1999) Cichlids and Science: Mysterious Mouthbrooders. Cichlid News 8(1):32-33. Available online Coleman R. (1998) Review of "Catalog of Fishes Volumes 1-3 plus CDROM & Website" by W.N. Eschmeyer. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 21(12):106-108. Coleman R. (1998) Cichlid Egg Project Reaches 200 species!! Cichlidae Communique. 110:1-7. Coleman R.M. (1998) Cichlids and Science: Enigmatic Eggs. Cichlid News 7(3):32-33. Available online Coleman R.M. (1998) Cichlids and Science: Something Old Doing Something New. Cichlid News 7(2):30-31. Available online Coleman R.M. (1998) Cichlids and Science: The Color Conundrum. Cichlid News 7(1):30-31. Available online Coleman R.M. (1997) Cichlids and Science: That Amazing Mouth. Cichlid News 6(4):30-31. Available online Coleman R.M. (1997) The Cichlid Egg Project. MACK Attack (Mid-Atlantic Cichlid Keepers) 5:6-7. Coleman R.M. (1997) Cichlids and Science: Sex Determination. Cichlid News 6(3):20-21. Available online Coleman R.M. (1997) The Cichlid Egg Project Hits 150 Species. Cichlidae Communique 102:1-6. Coleman R.M. (1997) The Cichlid Egg Project. The Apisto-Gram 13:18-20. Coleman R.M. (1997) Cichlids and Science: Whose kids are those anyway? Cichlid News 6(2):30-31. Available online Coleman R.M. (1997) Review of "Aqualog: reference fish of the world. South American Cichlids I, II and III" by U. Glaser, W. Glaser, and F. Schafer. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 20:214-215. Coleman R.M. (1997) Review of "Interrelationships of Fishes" by M.L.J. Stiassny, L.R. Parenti, and G.D. Johnson. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 20:34-36. Coleman R.M. (1997) Cichlids and Science: How old is Lake Victoria? Cichlid News 6(1):14-15. Available online Coleman R.M. (1997) Cichlasoma eggs. Cichlasoma Power 16:15-19. Coleman R.M. (1997) Tools for the new aquarist. Tropical Fish Hobbyist 55:100-106. Coleman R.M. (1996) Report on the 1996 "Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes" conference. Cichlidae Communique 98:4-6. Coleman R.M. (1996) Experimenting with Parental care in cichlids. MACK Attack (Mid-Atlantic Cichlid Keepers) 40:5-6. Coleman R.M. (1996) A nest of Neetroplus nematopus in Costa Rica. Cichlidae Communique 97:12-14 Coleman R.M. (1996) El proyecto huevo de ciclido. Gaceta del Cichlidofilo 4:4-12. Coleman R.M. (1995) The Cichlid Egg Project. ACARA (Sum 1994) 11-12. Coleman R.M. (1995) The partnership of scientists and tropical fishkeepers. FishKeepers' Advocate 2:1-6. Coleman R.M. (1995) Review of "Encyclopedia of Fishes" by J.R. Paxton and W.N. Eschmeyer. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium 18:22-26. Swenson R.O., Coleman R.M., Mojica CL (1995) Survey for the tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi) in Ventura River (Ventura County, California). Environmental Impact Consultant Report for Fugro West Inc., Ventura, California. Coleman R.M. (1995) The cichlid egg project: an update. Cichlidae Communique 90:1-6. Coleman R.M. (1994) Report on "The Ecological and Evolutionary Ethology of Fishes" conference. Cichlidae Communique 87:11-12. Coleman R.M. (1994) Ichthyology (IB 176) Laboratory Manual, University of California, Berkeley. Coleman R.M. (1993) Labeling data points on graphs. PC Magazine April 27:347. Coleman R.M. (1992) The value of parenthood. Rotunda 25:24-28. Plowright C.P., J.B. Falls and R.M. Coleman (1992) Zoo 323 (Animal Ecology) Laboratory Manual. University of Toronto, Toronto. Coleman R.M. (1992) Observations on cichlids breeding in the Rio Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica. Buntbarsche Bulletin (Journal American Cichlid Association) 151:17-22. Coleman R.M. (1991) Experimenting with parental care in cichlids. Apistogram 9:3-5.
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