Research

How does a species become invasive? This question guides most work in our lab.

Invasive species like the starling are a kind of companion species, and they threaten global biodiversity. We study invasive species from both social and biological perspectives.

Our lab uses genomic, ecological, and historical evidence to reconstruct invasion history, with a focus on the European Starling. We ask questions like:

  • how did starlings evolve and possibly adapt to novel environments?

  • how do scientists collect and interpret data on invasiveness?

  • how do the dynamics of range expansion differ between native and invasive species?

Scroll down to see a list of our publications.

European starling in flight

Publications

Hofmeister, NR, KC Stuart, WC Warren, SJ Werner, M Bateson, GF Ball, KL Buchanan, DW Burt, APA Cardilini, P Cassey, T De Meyer, J.George, SL Meddle, HM Rowland, CDH Sherman, WB Sherwin, W Vanden Berghe, LA Rollins, and DF Clayton. 2025. Concurrent invasions by European starlings suggest selection on shared genomic regions even after genetic bottlenecks. Molecular Ecology 34(14):e17195 https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17195

cover article

DeRaad, DA, ME Cobos, NR Hofmeister, LH DeCicco, MX Venkatraman, I Nishiumi, B McKay, F-S Zou, K Kawakami, C-H Kim, R-S Lin, C-T Yao, KL Garrett, SM Aguillon, JE McCormack, HL Mays Jr, AT Peterson, RG Moyle, and AJ Shultz. 2024. On the brink of explosion? Identifying the source and potential spread of introduced Zosterops white-eyes in North America. Biological Invasions 26:1615-1639. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-024-03268-8

Stuart, KC, RJ Edwards, Y Cheng, WC Warren, DW Burt, WB Sherwin, NR Hofmeister, SJ Werner, GF Ball, M Bateson, MC Brandley, KL Buchanan, P Cassey, DF Clayton, T De Meyer, SL Meddle, LA Rollins. 2021. Transcript- and annotation-guided genome assembly of the European starling. Molecular Ecology Resources 22(8):3141-3160. https://doi.org/10.1111/1755-0998.13679

Hofmeister, NR, SJ Werner, and IJ Lovette. Environmental correlates of genetic variation in the panmictic European starling in North America. 2021. Molecular Ecology 30(5):1251-63, doi: 10.1111/mec.15806.

Press: All About Birds Forbes Cornell Chronicle

Toews, DPL*, NR Hofmeister*, and SA Taylor. 2017. The evolution and genetics of carotenoid processing in animals. Trends in Genetics 33(3):171-82, doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.01.002. (*shared first authorship)

Hofmeister, NR, and DR Rubenstein. 2016. Environmental variability and the evolution of the glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1) in African starlings. Ecology Letters 19(10):1219-27. doi: 10.1111/ele.12656.

Hofmeister, NR, M Welk, and S Freedberg. 2013. Elevated levels of ∂15N in Riverine Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta): Trophic enrichment or anthropogenic input? Canadian Journal of Zoology 91(12): 899-905. doi: 10.1139/cjz-2013-0121.