My research examines sexual selection, the evolution of communication and how related behaviors can lead to change within and between populations and species. My dissertation research at Lehigh University explored the roles of communication and reproductive behavior in the evolution and maintenance of male alternative reproductive tactics in the Comanche Springs pupfish, Cyprinodon elegans. In the Mendelson lab I examine the evolution of male nuptial coloration using spectral analysis of male color in a visually diverse group of freshwater fishes (genus Etheostoma). This work will provide the basis for a comparative analysis of the causal factors driving color diversification. Future studies will also quantify the visual sensitivities of female visual pigments across the genus.