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Research Areas
in the Biological Sciences
Dr.
Eric Bollinger
Dr.
Bollinger's general research interests are in the conservation biology and
behavioral ecology of birds and mammals. Specific research interests
include the ecological and evolutionary aspects of cowbird parasitism and
the impacts of habitat fragmentation on grassland birds.
Dr.
Gary Bulla
Dr.
Bulla's research focuses on mechanisms controlling mammalian gene
expression and development. Three areas of interest include:
1)
Activation and silencing of hepatic gene expression.
2)
The link between hepatic gene expression and cellular response to
signaling molecules.
3)
The role of hepatic transcription factor mutations in the development of
diabetes.
Dr. Barbara Carlsward
Dr. Carlsward’s research interests incorporate techniques
of plant anatomy and molecular phylogenetics to study plant evolution. The
primary goal of her research is to generate reliable hypotheses of
evolution and then use these phylogenies as a foundation for studying
character evolution of plant structure. Most of Dr. Carlsward’s research
has focused on orchids. Students interested in gaining hands-on experience with
plant structure and evolutionary questions should contact Dr. Carlsward.
While her foci are anatomy and phylogenetics, Dr. Carlsward also has
experience with floristic projects as well as ethnobotany and could direct
graduate research with students interested in any of these fields.
Dr.
Janice Coons
Dr. Coons' interests include plant physiology and horticulture. Her
research has the overall focus of understanding the reproductive biology of
plants that are native to Illinois. Her emphasis is in two areas. One area deals
with plants that are endangered or threatened in Illinois. These studies seek to
identify factors that limit the success of these plants including many
reproductive ones such as development and pollination of flowers, development
and production of fruits and seeds, dispersal and longevity of seeds, dormancy
and germination of seeds, and development of seedlings. Another area of
research is the use of native Illinois plants in landscaping. This area ties to
reproductive biology because little is known about the culture of most native
plants using pots or containers in greenhouses, which is a common practice for
growing herbaceous plants frequently used in landscaping.
Dr.
Charles Costa
Dr.
Costa's interests are cellular and comparative physiology. He is
interested in the solute and water balance of aquatic animals, both
vertebrate and invertebrate. Dr. Costa is currently researching the
accumulation of non-ionic solutes (especially urea), osmoregulation in
larval amphibians inhabiting saline environments, and adaptations used by
aquatic organisms to live in alkaline environments.
Dr.
Steven Daniel
Dr.
Daniel's specialty areas are anaerobic microbiology, microbial physiology,
environmental microbiology, and microbial ecology. His general
research interests include the ecological and metabolic roles that
microorganisms, especially anaerobic bacteria, play in the turnover of
matter and energy in various environmental systems such as the
human/animal guts, soils, and sediments. In particular, he is
interested in the degradation of toxic dietary compounds (plant-derived)
by gastrointestinal bacteria and its influence on the health of the host
animal; the impact of soil microorganisms on the growth and survival of
native prairie plants; and the physiology and enzymology of microbial
soybean pathogens.
Dr.
Robert Fischer
Dr.
Fischer's general interests include aquatic ecology, fisheries biology,
and physiological ecology. His special interests include community
analysis of stream fishes, life history and demographics of fish,
bioenergetics of development and life history phenomena, and lipid storage
and utilization patterns of fish. His current research is focusing on:
1) The
response of fish populations to environmental stressors, specifically
examining the effects of heavy metals and heated effluent on the
bioenergetics of fish.
2)
The effects of habitat fragmentation and land use practices on stream fish
community structure, fish growth rates and fish developmental stability.
Dr.
Ann H. Fritz
Ann Fritz’s research is in behavioral ecology,
particularly of insects. Ann’s lab is currently investigating reproductive
biology, population dynamics and genetic introgression. Dr. Fritz’s
research is currently melding behavior, morphology, and molecular methods
to address hypotheses on the dynamics of sperm storage and use in female
insects affecting paternity outcomes. Insects are ideal study subjects
since there is often a temporal separation between insemination and
fertilization allowing greater potential for female manipulation of sperm.
Female control over fertilization outcomes adds a new dimension to
understanding the evolutionary conflict between the sexes, thus changing
our views on the degree to which females influence male reproductive
success. Dr. Fritz also has collaborative projects on microbial
constituents of the gut and reproductive tracts of flies, and with
institutions in Brazil and Bolivia on the population biology/genetics of
fruit flies of economic importance.
Dr.
Gary Fritz
My
research interests are broad, and I have published papers in ecology,
taxonomy, medical entomology, and genetics, including such taxa as frogs,
bats, crickets, mosquitoes and mites.
My research has focused primarily on the population dynamics,
genetics, and evolutionary biology of insects that affect the health of
humans and other animals. I
am currently investigating the genetic differentiation and ecology of
malaria mosquitoes in Bolivia under a grant from the National Institutes
of Health. Another aspect of
my research program examines sociobiological questions in yellowjackets
and fire ants. For
example, my students and I recently completed two studies that examine
genetic relatedness and reproduction in yellowjacket nests with single or
multiple queens.
Dr. Karen Gaines
Dr. Gaines’ research interests primarily focus on wildlife
toxicology at the landscape level. Most of her work involves developing spatial
models that predict how different wildlife species may be exposed to
contaminants such as radionuclides, metals and organics and how that may impact
environmental health. Her work also focuses on spatially explicit biokinetic
models for a variety of wildlife species. To accomplish this, she uses stable
isotopes (primarily 15N/14N and 13C/12C) to study energy flow within different
environmental systems. Dr. Gaines applies her research by developing tools
within a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework to aid in ecological risk
assessments. She works closely with and has been funded by the Department of
Energy (DOE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), as well as other national
and international organizations. Graduate students who are interested in working
with Dr. Gaines should have a general background in wildlife ecology and
interests in learning GIS techniques to explore questions regarding
environmental health.
Dr.
Kipp Kruse
Dr.
Kruse is interested in behavioral ecology in general and sexual selection
specifically. He has published peer-reviewed articles in national
and international journals dealing with mate choice in toads and insects.
He is interested in the phenomenon of sex-role reversal and has been
studying paternal care in the Giant Waterbug (Belostoma flumineum).
More recently, he is working jointly with Dr. Paul Switzer on the
mating biology of the Japanese Beetle (Popilla japonica).
Dr.
Jeff Laursen
Dr.
Laursen's research interests are snail/trematode interactions at the
ecological and cellular levels. He is interested in the effects of
trematode larvae on snails and the potential to use parasite assemblages
as indicators of habitat quality. He is also interested in larval
trematode development, specifically using snail cell cultures to support
larval trematode development and differentiation in vitro.
Dr. Zhiwei Liu
My
primary research interests surround the phylogenetic systematics and evolution
of cynipoid wasps (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea). My earlier research
focused on phylogeny and historical biogeography of the “macrocynipoid” wasps
(Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea) parasitizing wood-boring insects using morphology
characters to reconstruct phylogeny. My systematic work also includes
taxonomical studies, including revisions and description of new species. In a
almost completed project, I, together with my coauthors, discovered 90 new
species of the liopterid genus Paramblynotus. My recent research uses molecular
data to reconstruct phylogeny of cynipid gall wasps, with special interest in
the evolution of the associations between these wasps and their hosts.
I am also keenly interested in the interactions between herbivores and their
host plants. In a on going project, I survey systems of gall-inducing cynipid
wasps and their host plants to examine hypothesis about gall formation as a
protection mechanism against natural enemies, especially parasitic wasps.
Dr.
Marina Marjanovic
Dr.
Marjanovic's interests are comparative and adaptational physiology. She
studies the effects of low temperatures at the cellular level, especially
on ion transport mechanisms. Comparing hibernating (cold-tolerant) and
non-hibernating (cold-sensitive) mammals, Dr. Marjanovic is relating
changes at the cellular level to temperature sensitivity of the whole
organism.
Dr.
Kip McGilliard
Dr.
McGilliard is interested in the physiology and pharmacology of the
respiratory system, particularly as it relates to breathing disorders in
the newborn infant. His research projects include the effects of
respiratory stimulant drugs and opiates on the control of breathing and on
the contractility of respiratory muscles in the newborn rat.
Dr.
Scott J. Meiners
Dr.
Meiners' research focuses on the dynamics of plant communities,
particularly the regeneration of woody species. Specific interests
include understanding the consequences of habitat fragmentation,
seed predation, and plant-animal interactions at a community level.
His current research examines the relationship between diversity and
exotic plant invasions in abandoned agricultural land.
Dr.
Andrew S. Methven
Included
among Dr. Methven's research interests are the identification and ecology
of fleshy fungi, mycogeography, the effects of forest alteration on fleshy
fungi, the application of compatibility studies and molecular techniques
to fungal systematics, and the identification and distribution of lichens
in the Midwest. His
current research program is examining the distribution of the mushroom
genus Lactarius in the Western
Hemisphere, the utilization of biological species concepts in systematics
studies of fleshy fungi, and the application of molecular techniques to
population studies and mycogeography in the mushroom genus Flammulina.
Dr.
Stephen Mullin
Dr.
Mullin's research focuses on two concepts:
1)
The
ecological influence of physical structure on interspecific
interactions.
2)
The
environmental and developmental cues which stimulate the expression of
behavior.
Subtle
changes in the structural complexity of a microhabitat may influence not
only the expression of animal behavior, but also regulate patterns of
habitat selection. Predator-prey systems that include snakes are typically
examined in addressing these topics.
Dr.
Britto Nathan
Dr.
Nathan's research centers around neuroscience with special interest in
neurological diseases. His current research is aimed at understanding the
pathological pathways that lead to death of brain cells in aging humans,
and predisposes them to dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. A wide range
of molecular, biochemical and cellular techniques are used in his
laboratory.
Dr.
Tom Nelson
Dr.
Nelson's research interests include wildlife-habitat relationships and
mammalian ecology.
Current
studies include:
1)
The effects of deer on sensitive plant communities.
2)
Habitat ecology of furbearers.
3)
The effects of habitat fragmentation on small mammal communities.
Dr. Jim Novak
Dr. Novak's primary research interests are in the field of
ecological genetics. He uses wildlife species as his focal organisms for
study. Since ecological genetics involves the interaction of organisms
with their environment he also utilizes the effects of anthropogenic
stressors to look at genotoxic effects on wildlife populations. Currently
he is working on the evolution of organismal form (size, shape and
symmetry) and the use of form components as tools for the management of
wildlife populations and as effects biomarkers in ecotoxicological
studies.
Students wishing to work with Dr. Novak should either have,
or have a desire to develop, skills in statistical analysis and population
or quantitative genetics and the desire to learn the application of
genetic techniques, such as DNA strand breakage assays, to problems in
ecotoxicology.
Dr.
Henry Owen
Dr.
Owen’s research experiences and interests are in the use of cell,
tissue, and organ culture techniques for plant propagation, regeneration
and genetic improvement, and in seed and seedling physiology of threatened
or endangered Illinois species.
Dr.
Charles Pederson
While
Dr. Pederson's primary teaching and research interests are in algal
ecology and physiology, he also has considerable expertise in the areas of
water quality and ecotoxicology. His research is in the field of aquatic
ecology with emphasis on lake restoration and the use of algae as
biological monitors of pollution.
Dr.
Paul Switzer
Dr.
Switzer's interests are in animal behavior and behavioral ecology. Currently, he
is investigating (1) aggressive and territorial behavior; (2) the choice of
roosting, foraging, and breeding habitat and (3) mating behavior under scramble
competition. In particular, he is interested in how an individual's previous
experience affects these aspects of its behavior. Although he works mostly with
arthropods, he has studied a wide variety of taxa.
Dr.
Gordon Tucker
Dr.
Tucker is a specialist on the grass and sedge families. Currently
projects include studies of the sedge genera Cyperus, Kyllinga,
Lipocarpha and Cladium for the Flora of North America and a
revision of Jones' Flora of Illinois, a reference for the identification
of Illinois vascular plants.
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