Jessica A. Cusick

Area of research

Ecology · Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Research interest

Research topics from publications: How do helpers help? Helper contributions throughout the nesting cycle in the cooperatively breeding brown-headed nuthatch; Manipulated sex ratios alter group structure and cooperation in the brown-headed nuthatch; Mercury offloading in gametes and potential adverse effects of high mercury concentrations in blood and tissues of Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara in the southeastern United States; Age, Growth, and Functional Gonochorism with a Twist of Diandric Protogyny in Goliath Grouper from the Atlantic Coast of Florida; Breeder aggression does not predict current or future cooperative group formation in a cooperatively breeding bird. Representative work: Abstract A biased adult sex ratio (ASR) can influence cooperative breeding behavior if the bias limits mating opportunities for the more abundant sex. We tested predictions associated with the ASR-cooperation hypothesis in the brown-headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla). We manipulated ASR by cross-fostering known-sex nestlings within 2 large (≥100 ha) experimental plots for 5 years using a crossover design where each plot received an opposing male- or female-biased treatment for 2 consecutive years. A year with no manipulations followed before the bias was reversed on each plot for 2 additional years. Variation in ASR (adult males/total adults) was pronounced compared to background proportions (0 The lack of data on the age, growth, and reproduction of the Atlantic Goliath Grouper Epinephelus itajara off the coasts of Florida (USA) makes it difficult to estimate the extent of their population recovery following the 1990 fishery closure, as well as the potential effects of the recent (2023) opening of a fishery for juveniles. Goliath Grouper from the Atlantic coast of Florida were non-lethally sampled for size (total length, TL), age (via fin rays), and sex and reproductive stage (via gonad biopsies, milt/egg expression, gonopores) from May to October 2010–2016. Of 653 unique fish captured (not including 118 recaptures), 257 (39.4%) were females (122–228 cm TL; 5–20 years old), 264 (4

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