Curriculum Vitae

Craig W. Benkman
Department of Zoology and Physiology
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY 82071-3166
(307) 766-2978
FAX (307) 766-5625
E-mail: cbenkman@uwyo.edu

Academic Jobs:

2004-present Professor and Robert B. Berry Distinguished Chair in Ecology, University of Wyoming.
2004 Professor of Biology, New Mexico State University.
1999-2004 Associate Professor of Biology, New Mexico State University.
1993-1999 Assistant Professor of Biology, New Mexico State University.
1993 Lecturer, University of California at Santa Cruz.

Education:
1985 Ph.D. Biology; State University of New York at Albany.
Dissertation title: The foraging ecology of crossbills in eastern North America. 185 pp. Advisor: Dr. H. Ronald Pulliam
1981 M.S. Biology; Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.
Thesis title: Co-adaptations of red squirrels and Clark's Nutcrackers with limber pine. 95 pp. Advisor: Dr. Russell P. Balda
1978 B.A. Biology; University of California at Berkeley

Postdoctoral Research Experience:
1990-91 NSERC International Fellow at the University of British Columbia. Advisor: Dr. Dolph Schluter
1989-90 NSF NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia. Advisor: Dr. Dolph Schluter
1987-89 NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Princeton University. Advisor: Dr. Peter R. Grant

Post-doctoral Fellows in my Laboratory:
2007-2008 Dr. Anna Chalfoun, Postdoctoral Fellow funded by the National Park Service
2003-2005 Dr. Eduardo T. Mezquida, Postdoctoral Fellow funded by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science
2002-2003 Dr. Pim Edelaar, NWO Talent Fellow from The Netherlands

Courses Taught:
Contemporary Problems in Biology
Natural History of Life
Ecology
Herpetology
Avian Ecology
Evolutionary Ecology
Seminars on topics including: Adaptive Radiations, Behavioral Ecology, Coevolution, Granivory, Ornithology and Speciation.
I participated in a four-day National Science Foundation sponsored “FIRST” workshop on inquiry-based teaching at the Southwest Research Station, Portal, Arizona in 1999.

Grants (partial list):
2005 NSF, Division of Environmental Biology/Ecology, Two-year grant ($106,189)
2003 NSF, Division of Environmental Biology/Ecology, Five-year grant ($354,510)
2002 NSF, Division of Environmental Biology/Population Biology. Five-year grant ($480,000)
2000 Grant from the National Geographic Society ($11,500)
1998 NMSU Research Mini-grant ($2,000)
1997 NSF, Division of Environmental Biology/Ecological Studies. Two-year grant ($100,000)
1994 NMSU Research Mini-grant ($1,100)
1992-95 Three grants from the Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Juneau, Alaska (totaling $10,500)
1990 NSERC International Fellowship ($28,000 Canadian)
1989 NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Science and Engineering ($26,463)
1986 NSF Post-doctoral Research Fellowship in Environmental Biology ($52,800)

Awards:
2002 Elected as a Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union for “eminence in ornithology”
1991 Honorary position of Elective Member of the American Ornithologists' Union for significant contributions to the field of ornithology
1981 A. Brazier Howell Award for presenting the best student paper at the 1981 Meeting of the Cooper Ornithological Society

Publications:
Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2008. A seed predator drives the evolution of a seed dispersal mutualism. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B. 275:1917-1925.

Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2008. Seed predation and selection exerted by a seed predator influence subalpine tree densities. Ecology, in press.

Keenan, P. C., and C. W. Benkman. 2008. Call imitation and call modification in Red Crossbills. Condor 110:93-101.

Benkman, C. W., T. L. Parchman, and A. M. Siepielski. 2008. The geographic mosaic of coevolution and its conservation significance. In Conservation biology: evolution in action. S. P. Carroll and C. W. Fox, eds. Oxford University Press.

Parchman, T. L., and C. W. Benkman. 2008. The geographic selection mosaic for ponderosa pine and crossbills: a tale of two squirrels. Evolution 62:348-360.

Benkman, C. W., A. M. Siepielski, and T. L. Parchman. 2008. The local introduction of strongly interacting species and the loss of geographic variation in species and species interactions. Molecular Ecology 17:395-404.

Benkman, C. W. 2007. Red crossbill types in Colorado: their ecology, evolution and distribution. Colorado Birds 41:153-163.

Parchman, T. L., C. W. Benkman, and E. T. Mezquida. 2007. Coevolution between Hispaniolan crossbills and pine: Does more time allow for greater phenotypic escalation at lower latitude? Evolution 61:2142-2153.

Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2007. Extreme environmental variation sharpens selection that drives the evolution of a mutualism. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 274:1799-1805.

Snowberg, L. K., and C. W. Benkman. 2007. The role of marker traits in the assortative mating within red crossbills, Loxia curvirostra complex. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 20:1924-1932.

Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2007. Selection by a pre-dispersal seed predator constrains the evolution of avian seed dispersal in pines. Functional Ecology 21:611-618.

Smith, J. W., and C. W. Benkman. 2007. A coevolutionary arms race causes ecological speciation in crossbills. American Naturalist 169:455-465.

Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2007. Convergent patterns in the selection mosaic for two North American bird-dispersed pines. Ecological Monographs 77:203-220.

Mezquida, E. T., S. J. Slater, and C. W. Benkman. 2006. Sage-grouse and indirect interactions: potential implications of coyote control on sage-grouse populations. Condor 108:747-759.

Parchman, T. L., C. W. Benkman, and S. C. Britch. 2006. Patterns of genetic variation in the adaptive radiation of New World crossbills (Aves: Loxia). Molecular Ecology 15:1873-1887.

Edelaar, P., and C. W. Benkman. 2006. Replicated population divergence caused by localised coevolution? A test of three hypotheses in the red crossbill-lodgepole pine system. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 19:1651-1659.

Benkman, C. W., J. S. Colquitt, W. R. Gould, T. Fetz, P. C. Keenan, and L. Santisteban. 2005. Can selection by an ectoparasite drive a population of red crossbills from its adaptive peak? Evolution 59:2025-2032.

Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2005. A role for habitat area in the geographic mosaic of coevolution between red crossbills and lodgepole pine. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 18:1042-1049.

Mezquida, E. T., and C. W. Benkman. 2005. The geographic selection mosaic for squirrels, crossbills and Aleppo pine. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 18:348-357.

Benkman, C. W., and A. M. Siepielski. 2004. A keystone selective agent? Pine squirrels and the frequency of serotiny in lodgepole pine. Ecology 85:2082-2087.

Siepielski, A. M., and C. W. Benkman. 2004. Interactions among moths, crossbills, squirrels and lodgepole pine in a geographic selection mosaic. Evolution 58:95-101.

Benkman, C. W., T. L. Parchman, A. Favis, and A. M. Siepielski. 2003. Reciprocal selection causes a coevolutionary arms race between crossbills and lodgepole pine. American Naturalist 162: 182-194.

Benkman, C. W. 2003. Divergent selection drives the adaptive radiation of crossbills. Evolution 57:1176-1181.

Parchman, T. L., and C. W. Benkman. 2002. Diversifying coevolution between crossbills and black spruce on Newfoundland. Evolution 56:1663-1672.

Hulme, P., and C. W. Benkman. 2002. Granivory. Pages 132-154 in Plant-animal interactions: an evolutionary approach. C. Herrera and O. Pellmyr, eds. Blackwell Scientific Publications, New York.

Benkman, C. W., W. C. Holimon, and J. W. Smith. 2001. The influence of a competitor on the geographic mosaic of coevolution between crossbills and lodgepole pine. Evolution 55:282-294.

Bardwell, E., C. W. Benkman, and W. R. Gould. 2001. Adaptive geographic variation in Western Scrub-jays. Ecology 82:2617-2627.

Benkman, C. W. 1999. The selection mosaic and diversifying coevolution between crossbills and lodgepole pine. American Naturalist 154:S75-S91.

Levey, D. J., and C. W. Benkman. 1999. Fruit-seed disperser interactions: timely insights from a long-term perspective. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 14:41-43.

Coffey, K., C. W. Benkman, and B. G. Milligan. 1999. The adaptive significance of spines on pine cones. Ecology 80:1221-1229

Smith, J. W., C. W. Benkman, and K. Coffey. 1999. The use and mis-use of public information by foraging red crossbills. Behavioral Ecology 10:54-62.

Valone, T. J., and C. W. Benkman. 1999. Public information as a mechanism favoring social aggregation: a brief review of empirical evidence. In: Adams, N. & Slotow, R. (eds), Proceedings of the 22nd International Ornithological Congress. Durban, University of Natal: 1328-1336.

Holimon, W. C., C. W. Benkman, and M. F. Willson. 1998. The importance of mature conifers to red crossbills in southeast Alaska. Forest Ecology and Management 102:167-172.

Benkman, C. W. 1997. Feeding behavior, flock-size dynamics, and variation in sexual selection in crossbills. Auk 114:163-178.

Benkman, C. W., and R. E. Miller. 1996. Morphological evolution in response to fluctuating selection. Evolution 50:2499-2504.

Benkman, C. W. 1996. Are the ratios of bill crossing morphs in crossbills the result of frequency-dependent selection? Evolutionary Ecology 10:119-126.

Benkman, C. W. 1995. The impact of tree squirrels (Tamiasciurus) on limber pine seed dispersal adaptations. Evolution 49:585-592.

Benkman, C. W. 1995. Wind dispersal capacity of pine seeds, with comments on the evolution of different seed dispersal modes in pines. Oikos 73: 221-224.

Hill, G. E., and C. W. Benkman. 1995. Exceptional response to dietary carotenoid supplementation by female Red Crossbills. Wilson Bulletin 107:555-557.

Benkman, C. W. 1994. Comments on the ecology and status of the Hispaniolan crossbill (Loxia leucoptera megaplaga), with recommendations for its conservation. Caribbean Journal of Science 30:250-254.

Benkman, C. W. 1993. Logging, conifers, and the conservation of crossbills. Conservation Biology 7:473-479.

Benkman, C. W. 1993. Adaptation to single resources and the evolution of crossbill (Loxia) diversity. Ecological Monographs 63:305-325.

Benkman, C. W. 1993. The evolution, ecology, and decline of the Red Crossbill of Newfoundland. American Birds 47:225-229.

Benkman, C. W. 1992. White-winged Crossbills. In A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. B. Gill, editors. The Birds of North America. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA.

Benkman, C. W. 1992. A crossbill's twist of fate. Natural History 101(12):38-43.

Benkman, C. W. 1991. Predation, seed size partitioning, and the evolution of body size in seed-eating finches. Evolutionary Ecology 5:118-127.

Benkman, C. W. and A. K. Lindholm. 1991. The advantages and evolution of a morphological novelty. Nature 349:519-520.

Benkman, C. W. 1990. Foraging rates and the timing of crossbill reproduction. Auk 107:376-386.

Benkman, C. W. 1989. On the evolution and ecology of island populations of crossbills. Evolution 43:1324-1330.

Benkman, C. W. 1989. Intake rate maximization and the foraging behaviour of crossbills. Ornis Scandinavica 20:65-68.

Benkman, C. W. 1989. On the foraging behavior of the Kauai Akepa. 'Elepaio 49:29-30.

Benkman, C. W. 1989. Breeding opportunities, foraging rates, and parental care in White-winged Crossbills. Auk 106:483-485.

Benkman, C. W. 1988. Why White-winged Crossbills do not defend feeding territories. Auk 105:370-371.

Benkman, C. W., and H. R. Pulliam. 1988. The comparative feeding rates of North American sparrows and finches. Ecology 69:1195-1199.

Benkman, C. W. 1988. A 3:1 ratio of mandible crossing direction in White-winged Crossbills. Auk 105:578-579.

Benkman, C. W. 1988. Flock size, food dispersion, and the feeding behavior of crossbills. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 23:167-175.

Benkman, C. W. 1988. Seed handling efficiency, bill structure, and the cost of bill specialization for crossbills. Auk 105:715-719.

Benkman, C. W. 1988. On the advantages of crossed mandibles: an experimental approach. Ibis 129:288-293.

Benkman, C. W. 1987. Crossbill foraging behavior, bill structure, and patterns of food profitability. Wilson Bulletin 99:351-368.

Benkman, C. W. 1987. Food profitability and the foraging ecology of crossbills. Ecological Monographs 57:251-267.

Benkman, C. W., R. P. Balda, and C. C. Smith. 1984. Adaptations for seed dispersal and the compromises due to seed predation in limber pine. Ecology 65:632-642.

Book Reviews:
Siepielski, A. M., T. L. Parchman, and C. W. Benkman. 2002. Review of Evolutionary Ecology: Concepts and Case Studies. Animal Behaviour 64:323-324.

Benkman, C. W. 1998. Review of Made for Each Other: A symbiosis of birds and pines. Condor 100:190-191.

Government Documents:
Benkman, C. W. 1994. Scientific review. In A. R. Kiester and C. Eckhardt. Review of Wildlife Management and Conservation Biology on the Tongass National Forest: a synthesis with recommendations. Pages 37-42. Pacific Northwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Corvallis, Oregon.