Evolutionary Bioenergetics Lab

Publications

Selected publications organized around current lab research themes.

This page highlights representative work connected to the lab’s current research directions. Visit Ryan's Google Scholar profile to view the full publication record.

AOX evolution and physiology

2026Horizontally acquired mitochondrial alternative oxidase contributes to springtail bioenergetics and life belowground
Weaver, Ryan J. bioRxiv, 2026.06. 01.729305.

2023Mitochondrial alternative oxidase across the tree of life: Presence, absence, and putative cases of lateral gene transfer
Weaver, Ryan J; Mcdonald, Allison E. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Bioenergetics, 1864.0 (4.0) 149003.

2020High mitochondrial mutation rates in Silene are associated with nuclear-mediated changes in mitochondrial physiology
Weaver, Ryan J; Carrion, Gina; Nix, Rachel; Maeda, Gerald P; Rabinowitz, Samantha; Iverson, Erik NK; Thueson, Kiley; Havird, Justin C. Biology Letters, 16.0 (9.0) 20200450.

2019Hypothesized evolutionary consequences of the alternative oxidase (AOX) in animal mitochondria
Weaver, Ryan J. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59.0 (4.0) 994-1004.

Fungal pathogen bioenergetics

In progress

Pollinator bioenergetics

In progress

Mitonuclear coevolution / Genomics

2022Genomic signatures of mitonuclear coevolution in mammals
Weaver, Ryan J; Rabinowitz, Samantha; Thueson, Kiley; Havird, Justin C. Molecular biology and evolution, 39.0 (11.0) msac233.

2023Disentangling positive selection from relaxed selection in animal mitochondrial genomes
Zwonitzer, Kendra D; Iverson, Erik NK; Sterling, Jess E; Weaver, Ryan J; Maclaine, Bradley A; Havird, Justin C. The American Naturalist, 202.0 (4.0) E121-E129.

2019Beyond the powerhouse: integrating mitonuclear evolution, physiology, and theory in comparative biology
Havird, Justin C; Weaver, Ryan J; Milani, Liliana; Ghiselli, Fabrizio; Greenway, Ryan; Ramsey, Adam J; Jimenez, Ana G; Dowling, Damian K; Hood, Wendy R; Montooth, Kristi L. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 59.0 (4.0) 856-863.

Honest signaling, sexual selection, and carotenoids

2026Shared Pathways, Physiological Constraint, and the Evolutionary Origins of an Honest Signal. A commentary on Számadó et al.(2025)
Hill, Geoffrey E; Powers, Matthew J; Weaver, Ryan J. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, voag048.

2023Carotenoid ornaments and the spandrels of physiology: a critique of theory to explain condition dependency
Hill, Geoffrey E; Weaver, Ryan J; Powers, Matthew J. Biological Reviews, 98.0 (6.0) 2320-2332.

2018Carotenoid metabolism strengthens the link between feather coloration and individual quality
Weaver, Ryan J; Santos, Eduardo SA; Tucker, Anna M; Wilson, Alan E; Hill, Geoffrey E. Nature Communications, 9.0 (1.0) 73.

2017What maintains signal honesty in animal colour displays used in mate choice?
Weaver, Ryan J.; Koch, Rebecca E.; Hill, Geoffrey E. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 372.0 20160343.