g e t t i n g i n v o lv e d i n - usf :: biological...
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The Integrative Biology Department has relationships with many government
and prestigious Biological agencies. USF Integrative Biology Department’s
research partners include:
G E T T I N G I N V O LV E D I N UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Major Research Areas in The Department of Integrative Biology
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY BIOMECHANICS
GLOBAL CHANGE DISEASE BIOLOGY
FRESHWATER BIOLOGY BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
MARINE BIOLOGY EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
Department of Integrative Biology 4202 East Fowler Avenue SCA 110 Tampa, FL 33620-5200
(813) 974-6210 | http://biology.usf.edu/ib/
Undergraduate Research is a great way to get hands on experience in what
you are studying and learning in your courses. It is also a great way to boost
your resume, application to graduate school or health professional school.
How do I get into Undergraduate Research?
To get involved you can either do it simply for the experience, because you
enjoy conducting research, or to gain credit for your Biology Major
requirements. As a Biology Major you can count up to 4 credit hours of
undergraduate research with a Biology Faculty member on the USF Tampa
campus towards your Biology major elective hour’s requirement for your
degree.
If you would like to volunteer then simply get in contact with one of the faculty
members in this brochure, that are currently researching something that
interests you, and ask them if they would be willing to have you volunteer in
their labs. Explain to them why you wish to volunteer with them.
Requirements
If you wish to earn majors credit for the research, there are a few requirements
you will need to meet in order to be granted permission to earn credit. The
requirements are as follows:
have a 3.0 USF GPA
have a 3.0 Biology Majors GPA
have completed at least 60 credit hours
If you have met all of these requirements then you will need to complete an
undergraduate research contract, have a Biology Academic Advisor sign off
that you are eligible to receive credit, then find a Biology faculty member that is
willing to give you credit.
Department of Integrative Biology faculty members are currently conducting a
multitude of research projects involving many different facets in the Biological
field. Students have the opportunity to work alongside our faculty and receive
hands on experience. In fact, some of our undergraduate students have been
authors on articles that are published in prestigious science journals in
conjunction with the research they participated in. Here is a listing of the
Department of Integrative Biology faculty members’ current research interests.
Analyzing water quality on Gulf of Mexico beaches
Collecting salt marsh plants on Grand Isle, Louisiana after the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Lynn B. "Marty" Martin Ecology, Physiology, Disease Biology [email protected]
The Martin lab at USF IB seeks to understand how wild animals cope with stress in their natural environments.
Predominantly, we work on songbirds, asking whether and how introduced species have adjusted their immune and endocrine systems to colonize new areas. We are also asking how native species cope with parasites in habitats where climate, food availability and other conditions fluctuate much more than the lab-oratory conditions in which most immunological research has been conducted.
Kathleen (K.T.) Scott Evolution, Genetics, Microbiology, Biogeochemistry, Marine Biology [email protected]
The Scott lab studies carbon fixation by marine micro-
organisms, including algae and deep-sea hydrothermal vent bacteria. We're curious to know how they take up carbon dioxide and bicarbonate from their environments, and what sort of adaptations they have to changes in the availabilities of these chemicals. We use a variety of techniques, including genetic engineering, microarray transcriptomics, gen-omics, electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, cell cultivation, and the occasional field trip to the open ocean.
Marc Lajeunesse Ecology, Disease Biology [email protected]
The goal of Marc Lajeunesse’s research is to understand the natural diversity of parasites and herbivores, with a particular focus on (1) the development of statistics for synthesizing
published research and evaluating sources of bias; and (2) providing rigorous syntheses of key ecological and evolutionary principles relating to this diversity of parasites and herbivores. To achieve this goal, I use a broad variety of techniques that include: meta-analysis, comparative phylogenetic methods, field and selection experiments, and mathematical modeling.
Our Faculty
Peter Stiling Ecology, Global Change [email protected]
The Stiling lab is interested in a
wide variety of ecological questions
from invasive plants and insects to
the influence of global change on coastal communi-
ties and the effects of elevated CO2 on forest
ecosystems. Recent students have examined the effects of the invasive cactus
moth on native cacti and the control of invasive fruit trees by newly invaded
insects. Past students have worked on a variety of questions, including the
effects of key deer on native vegetation.
Earl McCoy Ecology, Conservation Biology, Global Change
Earl McCoy's research interests include conservation ecology,
disturbance ecology, bio-geographical theory, and the
philosophical basis of ecology. His recent work has focused on
the conservation and restoration of severely threatened sand hill and Florida
scrub habitats; the population biology and genetics of two threatened tortoises,
the gopher tortoise and the desert tortoise, and two species of threatened
lizards, the Florida Sand Skink and Florida Scrub Lizard; and introductions of
biological control agents.
Stephen Deban Evolution, Physiology, Biomechanics [email protected] The Deban lab focuses on under-
standing the biomechanical and
physiological mechanisms of animal movement. We
are interested in how these mechanisms change
through evolution to enable the highly athletic
behaviors of many reptiles and amphibians, such as
the spectacular ballistic tongue projection of
chameleons and frogs. Using high-speed imaging and manipulations of body
temperature, we are exploring how the “bow and arrow” mechanism of tongue
projection can operate even when the animals are cold.
Restoring endangered species of cactus in the Florida Keys.
Sampling a stream in Hillsborough County to determine bacterial levels
Valerie (Jody) Harwood Ecology, Microbiology, Disease Biology, Freshwater Biology [email protected]
Valerie J. Harwood leads an environmental microbiology laboratory with research focusing on the intersection of
microbial ecology and public health microbiology. One focus of her research is using genes from microorganisms that are specific to a particular host to identify the source(s) of fecal pollution in environmental waters. Another focus is the ecology and virulence potential of Vibrio vulnificus, a human pathogen that is ubiquitous in Gulf of Mexico waters and transmitted to humans via wounds and consumption of raw shellfish.
Henry Muskinsky Ecology, Conservation Biology [email protected]
Henry Mushinsky studies rare species of reptiles, including the Gopher Tortoise, the only tortoise species east of the
Mississippi River. Current research involves the translocation of individuals to a working ranch, to determine if ranches can provide refuges for the Gopher Tortoise. Research also focuses on the Florida Sand Skink, which spends its life buried in the fine sands along the ancient ridges of central Florida. Both species present a number of unique challenges for study.
David B. Lewis Ecology, Biogeochemistry [email protected]
David Lewis’ lab investigates pattern and process in ecosystems, from distinct landscape elements to the regional
matrix in which they are set. Researchers in the lab focus on soil and water element cycles (mainly carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), and how they are related to ecological communities, land use, and hydrology. At present, the lab is investigating intermittently flooded freshwater wetlands and intertidal coastal systems, habitats that highlight the dynamic land-water interface.
Thomas Crisman Ecology, Freshwater Biology [email protected]
Thomas L. Crisman is a fresh water ecologist specializing on the ecology, conservation, management and restoration of lakes, streams and wetlands of the subtropics and tropics
globally. His research has been conducted in Central and South America, the Caribbean basin, Mediterranean basin and Africa. Currently, he is addressing water management questions of the Middle East and Central Asia and urbanization impacts in Florida.
Recording levels of parasite infection in the laboratory
Monitoring changing coastal environments at Sapelo Island, Georgia
Phillip Motta
Evolution, Biomechanics, Marine Biology [email protected]
Philip Motta's principal research
interests are in functional and
ecological morphology of feeding
in bony fishes and elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and
rays), as well as the evolution of functional adaptations
for feeding. Recent research has focused on the
comparative functional morphology of the feeding
mechanisms; the relationships between functional morphology, feeding
behavior, and the evolution of feeding mechanisms; whale shark feeding
behavior; and the relationship of scale structure to swimming mobility of Mako
sharks.
Sidney K. (Skip) Pierce Evolution, Physiology [email protected]
Sidney Pierce's lab is investigating the molecular biology of
an intracellular symbiosis between the digestive cells of a sea
slug (Elysiabchlorotica) and algal (Vaucheria litorea) chloro-
plasts. The plastids, once
incorporated into the molluscan cell, continue to
photosynthesize and provide sufficient energy to
sustain the slug in the absence of any additional
food. Continuing research also examines the
biochemical and molecular mechanisms regulating
cell volume recovery from osmotic stress, particularly
salinity tolerance mechanisms of marine organisms.
Gordon A. Fox Ecology, Conservation Biology [email protected]
Gordon Fox studies growth and decline of populations –
especially of plants – and applications to conservation,
invasive species, and evolution. Some current research
includes: regrowth of pine populations following fire; spread of
invasive plant species; interactions between plant populations living in the
same habitat; evolution of reproductive timing. These research projects involve
a mix of field study and modeling.
Christina L. Richards Evolution, Genetics, Marine Biology [email protected]
Christina Richards' research uses genomics and ecology experiments to understand how plants respond to global change. Current and future research in her laboratory
include studies of: 1) coastal salt marsh plants to address gene expression in response to ecological factors and climate change; 2) how epigenetic effects contribute to phenotypic variation and ecological breadth in native and invasive plants; 3) phenotypic plasticity in natural and agricultural systems in changing environ-ments.
Jason R. Rohr Ecology, Disease Biology, Global Change [email protected]
Jason Rohr’s research interests are in disease ecology, ecotoxicology, climate change biology, conservation biology and interactions among these disciplines. His research runs the gamut from human disease ecology to amphibian
declines to fundamental and applied population, community, and ecosystem ecology. He has published in the world’s premier general science journals, including Nature and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, and regularly trains and publishes with undergraduate research assistants.
Susan Bell Ecology, Marine Biology [email protected]
Susan Bell’s research focuses on topics in marine ecology, especially landscape ecology of marine systems, restoration
ecology and marine conservation. Many of her ongoing studies target questions related to ecosystem response to changing marine habitats. Her work focuses on seagrass habitats, mangroves, salt marshes, and sandy beaches. She collaborates with other researchers to work on issues linking urban ecology, watersheds, and human dimensions.
Measuring, tagging and releasing sharks in the Gulf of Mexico
Collecting aquatic salamanders in southern Florida