Mabel Gonzalez, Ph.D.

Research

In the Laboratory of Organismal Biology, I will study the specificity of chemical interactions that allow babies to recognize their mothers. Maternal bonding is critical for proper development; however, the pheromones that promote this important attachment have yet to be identified. I propose to study this phenomenon using poison frogs (Ranitomeya imitator) as a model. In this system, parental “recognition” is easy to identify because tadpoles beg (dance) for food in the presence of unidentified olfactory signals. For my doctoral studies, I developed methods for analyzing the chemical odorants that poison frogs produce to communicate with other organisms. Now, combining my expertise in analytical chemistry with techniques in molecular biology and behavioral neuroscience, I will isolate the maternal pheromones that trigger begging behavior, identify the receptors that allow tadpoles to detect these pheromones, and assess how specific is this molecular interaction between pheromones and chemosensors. This work will enhance our understanding of social recognition and maternal bonding, potentially leading to approaches for improving healthy social and emotional development.