Faculty-Student Research Collaborations

Our Faculty and Their Research Interests

  • Cynthia Bennington, Ph.D., West Virginia University; plant ecology and evolutionary biology; restoration ecology
  • Roslyn Crowder, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham; anticancer properties of naturally occurring plant-based compounds
  • Terry Farrell, Ph.D., Oregon State University; reptile ecology; parasitology; animal behavior
  • Melissa Gibbs, Ph.D., University of Delaware; spring fish ecology; invasive species; developmental biology
  • Michael King, Ph.D., University of Virginia; brain mechanisms underlying behavioral responses to taste
  • Lynn Kee, Ph.D., University of Michigan; marine iridescent bacteria; butterfly genetics; CRISPR technology in undergraduate education
  • Haleigh Ray, Ph.D., University of Florida; entomology and orchid biology; dragonfly ecology in Florida ponds
  • Jean Smith, Ph.D. Princeton University; fungal biology and genetics
  • Kirsten Work, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma; aquatic ecology; conservation

Publications with Students

Beckmann, S., Engelbrecht, M., Chavez, F., & Rojas, G. (2020). Prevalence of zoonotic Bartonella among prairie rodents in Illinois. Journal of Mammalogy, 101(1), 291-297.

Farrell TM, Smiley-Walters SA, and DE McColl (2018) Prey species influences foraging behaviors: Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius) predation on little brown skinks (Scincella lateralis) and giant centipedes (Scolopendra viridis). Journal of Herpetology, 52:156- 161.

Gibbs M, Watson P, Johnson-Sapp K, and Lind C (2017) Reproduction Revisited – A decade of changes in the reproductive strategies of an invasive catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber, 1991), in Volusia Blue Spring, Florida. Aquatic Invasions,12(2):225-239.

Lind CM, Birky NK, Porth AM, and TM Farrell (2017) Vasotocin receptor blockade disrupts maternal care of offspring in a viviparous snake, Sistrurus miliarius. Biology Open,6:283-289.

Lind CM, Ramis F, Paredes D., Moore IT, and TM Farrell (2017)Mechanisms underlying maternal investment in a viviparous snake, Sistrurus miliarius: Does maternal energetic status, corticosterone, or arginine vasotocin influence maternal care? Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology, 327:458-465.

Lind CM, McCoy CM, and TM Farrell (2018) Tracking outcomes of snake fungal disease in a Field-active Rattlesnake. Journal of Wildlife Diseases,52:352:356.

Lind, CM, Clark A, Smiley-Walters SA, Taylor DR, Isidoro-Ayza M, Lorch JM, and TM Farrell (2019) Interactive effects of food supplementation and snake fungal disease on pregnant pygmy rattlesnakes and their offspring. Journal of Herpetology, 53:282-288.

McCoy CM, Lind CM, and TM Farrell (2017) Environmental and physiological correlates of snake fungal disease infection severity in free-ranging pygmy rattlesnakes, Sistrurus miliarius. Conservation Physiology, 5: cow077.

Pieczynski JN, McDuffee A, Deets A, Kee HL (2019). An Undergraduate Laboratory Experience using CRISPR/Cas9 Technology to Deactivate GFP Expression in Escherichia coli. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education. 47(2):145-155.

Rubio VY, Gibbs MA, Work KA, and CE Bryan (2016) Abundant feces from an exotic armored catfish, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus (Weber, 1991), create nutrient hotspots and promote algal growth in a Florida spring. Aquatic Invasions, 11(3):337-350.

Work KA and CJ Jennings (2017) Underwater video surveys provide a more complete picture of littoral fish populations than seine samples in clear Florida springs. Marine and Freshwater Research, 70(8):1178-1184.

Work K., Codner K., and M Gibbs (2017) How could discharge management affect Florida spring fish assemblage structure? Journal of Environmental Management, 198(1):266-276.

Recent Presentations with Students

Avila P, Ansley L, Beckmann S, and T Farrell (2020) The response of rodents to native and non-native predator scent cues. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Jacksonville, FL.

Barnes D and J Jett (2016) Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) survival in captivity. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.

Beckmann S, Chavez F, Engelbrecht M, Freund R, Rojas G, and T Venegas (2020) Coinfection of arthropod-borne pathogens in potential rodent reservoirs in northern Illinois. Ecological Society of America, Salt Lake City, UT.

Bockoven C, Palmisano J, and T Farrell (2020) Can Southern Toads (Anaxyrus terrestris) Serve as Intermediate Hosts for the Invasive Pentastome Parasite Raillietiella orientalis? Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Nuavoo, AL.

Curren SR and R Crowder (2016) Comparison of Genistein-induced apoptosis in T-cell leukemia jurkat and nonmalignant lung fibroblast MRC-5 cells. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.

Farrell T, Wheeler M, Agugliaro J, Graham E, Ossiboff R, Walden H, Wellehan J, and C Lind (2019)Rapid Geographic Spread of Invasive Pentastome Parasites in Pygmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius): A Novel Threat to Reptiles and Amphibians. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Snowbird, UT.

Farrell TM, Clark A, Smiley SA, Taylor DR, and CM Lind (2018) Interactive effects of food supplementation and snake fungal disease on pregnant Pygmy Rattlesnakes and their offspring. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Rochester, NY.

Goldstein AM, Guerra CA, MS King (2019) Sodium restriction alters behavioral and cortical responses to intra-oral infusion of NaCl in conscious rats. Association for Chemoreception Sciences.

Hollis T and S Beckmann (2020) Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto in central Florida rodents. Ecological Society of America, Salt Lake City, UT.

King MS, Baron GE, McCurdy KL, WM Meyers (2017) Distribution of neurons in the gustatory cortex activated by intra-oral infusion of different concentrations of NaCl and sucrose in conscious rats. Association for Chemoreception Sciences.

Korotasz A, Lind CM, and TM Farrell (2017) The Effect of Prey Elevation on Caudal Luring in Neonate Pygmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius). Association of Southeastern Biologists, Montgomery, AL

McPherson S, Agugliaro J, Lind C, and T Farrell (2020) Assessing the metabolic cost of pregnancy in pygmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius). American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Snowbird, UT.

Molinaro H, Lind CM, Smiley SA, and TM Farrell (2018) The Effects of Sex, Kinship, and Neonate Social Environment on Spatial Associations in Pygmy Rattlesnakes. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Myrtle Beach, SC.

Palmisano J, McPherson S, and T Farrell (2020) Evaluation of Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei) As Intermediate Hosts for the Invasive Pentastome Parasite (Raillietiella orientalis). Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Nuavoo, AL. Winner of the best student poster presentation.

Patrick G and K Work (2016) Resolving a Florida spring food web through diet analysis of fish, Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.

Petri T and C Bennington (2016) Restoration of sandhill ecosystems: The importance of soil fungi on the growth of a native perennial, Liatris tenuifolia Nutt. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Concord, NC.

Rodriguez A and TM Farrell (2018) Adaptive significance of homing in the limpet, Siphonaria pectinata, in central Florida. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Myrtle Beach, SC

Schrieber S and K Work (2017) Nutrient recycling in Blue Spring from the exotic snail species Melanoides tuberculata and its effect on algal growth. Florida Union of Malacologists, DeLand, FL.

Work K, Gibbs M, and K Codner (2016) How effective is discharge management on maintaining Florida spring fish assemblage structure? American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, New Orleans, LA.

Work K, Codner K, and M Gibbs (2017) How could discharge management affect spring fish assemblage structure? American Fisheries Society, Tampa, FL.

Ramis F, Paredes D, Lind C, and T Farrell (2017) The Effects of Arginine Vasotocin and Female Body Condition on Maternal Care Behavior in a Viviparous Snake, Sistrurus miliarius. Association of Southeastern Biologists, Montgomery, AL.