David Toews

Assistant Professor of Biology

David Toews

Huck Affiliations

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Publication Tags

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Genomics Genes Genome Color Songbirds Diet Birds Plumage Phenotype Breeding Carotenoids Polymorphism Nucleotides Phylogeny Feathers Gene Flow Introgression History Chromosomes Bird Divergence Mutation Genomic Islands Reproductive Isolation Genetics

Most Recent Publications

Genomics-informed conservation units reveal spatial variation in climate vulnerability in a migratory bird

Caitlin V. Miller, Christen M. Bossu, James F. Sarraco, David P.L. Toews, Clark S. Rushing, Amélie Roberto-Charron, Junior A. Tremblay, Richard B. Chandler, Matthew G. DeSaix, Cameron J. Fiss, Jeff L. Larkin, Samuel Haché, Silke Nebel, Kristen C. Ruegg, 2024, Molecular Ecology

A complex genomic architecture underlies reproductive isolation in a North American oriole hybrid zone

Jennifer Walsh, Shawn M. Billerman, Bronwyn G. Butcher, Vanya G. Rohwer, David P.L. Toews, Vicens Vila-Coury, Irby J. Lovette, 2023, Communications Biology

Whole genome assessment of a declining game bird reveals cryptic genetic structure and insights for population management

Leilton W. Luna, Lisa M. Williams, Kenneth Duren, Reina Tyl, David P.L. Toews, Julian D. Avery, 2023, Molecular Ecology on p. 5498-5513

Genomes of the extinct Bachman's warbler show high divergence and no evidence of admixture with other extant Vermivora warblers

Andrew W. Wood, Zachary A. Szpiech, Irby J. Lovette, Brian Tilston Smith, David Toews, 2023, Current Biology on p. 2823-2829.e4

Dispersal-Limited Symbionts Exhibit Unexpectedly Wide Variation in Host Specificity

Alix E. Matthews, Asela J. Wijeratne, Andrew D. Sweet, Fabio A. Hernandes, David P.L. Toews, Than J. Boves, 2023, Systematic Biology on p. 802-819

The genomics of adaptation in birds

Leonardo Campagna, David P.L. Toews, 2022, Current Biology on p. R1173-R1186

Genomic variation in the Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens) suggests divergence in a disjunct Atlantic Coastal Plain population (S. v. waynei)

John P. Carpenter, Alexander J. Worm, Than J. Boves, Andrew W. Wood, Joseph P. Poston, David P.L. Toews, 2022, Ornithology

Genetic confirmation of a hybrid between two highly divergent cardinalid species: A rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) and a scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea)

David P.L. Toews, Tessa A. Rhinehart, Robert Mulvihill, Spencer Galen, Stephen M. Gosser, Tom Johnson, Jessie L. Williamson, Andrew W. Wood, Steven C. Latta, 2022, Ecology and Evolution

Gut microbiome composition better reflects host phylogeny than diet diversity in breeding wood-warblers

Marcella D. Baiz, Andrea Benavides C., Eliot T. Miller, Andrew W. Wood, David P.L. Toews, 2022, Molecular Ecology

Current methods and future directions in avian diet analysis

Brandon Hoenig, Allison Snider, Anna Forsman, Keith Hobson, Steven Latta, Eliot Miller, Michael Polito, Luke Powell, Samantha Rogers, Thomas Sherry, Toews, David P. L., Andreanna Welch, Sabrina Taylor, Brady Porter, 2022, Ornithology

Most-Cited Papers

Plumage Genes and Little Else Distinguish the Genomes of Hybridizing Warblers

David P.L. Toews, Scott A. Taylor, Rachel Vallender, Alan Brelsford, Bronwyn G. Butcher, Philipp W. Messer, Irby J. Lovette, 2016, Current Biology on p. 2313-2318

The Evolution and Genetics of Carotenoid Processing in Animals

David P.L. Toews, Natalie R. Hofmeister, Scott A. Taylor, 2017, Trends in Genetics on p. 171-182

Migration, mitochondria, and the yellow-rumped warbler

David P.L. Toews, Milica Mandic, Jeffrey G. Richards, Darren E. Irwin, 2014, Evolution; international journal of organic evolution on p. 241-255

The Genetics of Seasonal Migration and Plumage Color

Kira E. Delmore, David P.L. Toews, Ryan R. Germain, Gregory L. Owens, Darren E. Irwin, 2016, Current Biology on p. 2167-2173

Genomic approaches to understanding population divergence and speciation in birds

David P.L. Toews, Leonardo Campagna, Scott A. Taylor, Christopher N. Balakrishnan, Daniel T. Baldassarre, Petra E. Deane-Coe, Michael G. Harvey, Daniel M. Hooper, Darren E. Irwin, Caroline D. Judy, Nicholas A. Mason, John E. McCormack, Kevin G. McCracken, Carl H. Oliveros, Rebecca J. Safran, Elizabeth S.C. Scordato, Katherine Faust Stryjewski, Anna Tigano, J. Albert C. Uy, Benjamin M. Winger, 2015, Ornithology on p. 13-30

A comparison of genomic islands of differentiation across three young avian species pairs

Darren E. Irwin, Borja Milá, David P.L. Toews, Alan Brelsford, Haley L. Kenyon, Alison N. Porter, Christine Grossen, Kira E. Delmore, Miguel Alcaide, Jessica H. Irwin, 2018, Molecular Ecology on p. 4839-4855

Genetics and evidence for balancing selection of a sex-linked colour polymorphism in a songbird

Kang Wook Kim, Benjamin C. Jackson, Hanyuan Zhang, David P.L. Toews, Scott A. Taylor, Emma I. Greig, Irby J. Lovette, Mengning M. Liu, Angus Davison, Simon C. Griffith, Kai Zeng, Terry Burke, 2019, Nature Communications on p. 1852

Admixture mapping in a hybrid zone reveals loci associated with avian feather coloration

Alan Brelsford, David P.L. Toews, Darren E. Irwin, 2017, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences on p. 20171106

Selection on VPS13A linked to migration in a songbird

David P.L. Toews, Scott A. Taylor, Henry M. Streby, Gunnar R. Kramer, Irby J. Lovette, 2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. 18272-18274

Genomic variation across the Yellow-rumped Warbler species complex

David P.L. Toews, Alan Brelsford, Christine Grossen, Borja Milá, Darren E. Irwin, 2016, Ornithology on p. 698-717

News Articles Featuring David Toews

Mar 06, 2024

Penn State biologist David Toews receives 2024 NSF CAREER Award

David Toews, assistant professor of biology, has been honored with a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Full Article

Oct 04, 2023

Ruffed grouse population more resilient than expected, genetic study finds

Despite decades of decline, a genetic analysis of ruffed grouse reveals that Pennsylvania’s state bird harbors more genetic diversity and connectivity than expected.

Full Article

Jun 23, 2023

Extinct warbler’s genome sequenced from museum specimens

The Bachman’s warbler, a songbird that was last seen in North America nearly 40 years ago, was a distinct species and not a hybrid of its two living sister species, according a new study in which the full genomes of seven museum specimens of the bird were sequenced.

Full Article

Nov 21, 2022

What shapes the composition of microbes in a warbler’s gut?

Differences among the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that live within birds’ digestive tracts — their gut microbiomes — are not primarily driven by diet diversity, contrary to a recently proposed hypothesis.

Full Article

Oct 10, 2022

Researchers confirm a western Pa. birdwatcher's discovery: a new songbird hybrid

Penn State researchers have identified a rare hybrid of two western Pennsylvania songbirds. The bird is a combination of the rose-breasted grosbeak and brightly-colored scarlet tanager. Stephen Gosser—a self-described “diehard birder”— spotted it in Lawrence County, along the Commonwealth’s western edge, in June 2020.

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Oct 10, 2022

A rare hybrid bird found in western Pennsylvania

A pairing 10 million years in the making was discovered in the woods of western Pennsylvania. Researchers from Penn State University documented the first-ever hybrid of a rose-breasted grosbeak and scarlet tanager.

Full Article

Oct 05, 2022

Birdsong reveals rare hybrid coupling 10 million years in the making

A team of researchers led by Penn State was able to use a combination of genomic sequencing and song analysis to identify a rare hybrid bird whose ancestors haven’t shared the same breeding location or lineage for 10 million years.

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Oct 05, 2022

Mysterious Bird Is the First-Ever Documented Hybrid of Its Kind

Here's a beautiful story for anyone who appreciates birds. A female rose-breasted grosbeak got together with a male scarlet tanager despite the bird species' preferences for dwelling in different habitats. Their offspring, a male, has now made ornithology history as the first-ever documented hybrid of its kind.

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Jan 24, 2022

Penn State biologists explore the secrets of the warbler genome

Looking through binoculars at the trees in their backyards during the pandemic, many brand-new birders may have been surprised by the diversity of visitors stopping by — finches, jays and warblers in an astounding array of yellows, blues and reds.

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Jun 28, 2021

Weird warbler reveals genetics of its mismatched colors

An incredibly rare hybrid warbler with mismatched color patterns has allowed researchers to disentangle the genetic drivers of two traits that usually come as a package deal — the black face mask and the black throat patch in blue-winged and golden-winged warblers.

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