My research is conducted in the broad area of aquaculture with a focus on nutrition. Examples of my current research projects include (1) the use of soybeans in diets fed to trout, salmon and shrimp, (2) evaluation of fish in Advanced Life Support Systems, (3) the development of fish meal-free diets for yellow perch and hybrid striped bass, and (4) the integration of proteomics in aquaculture research. Preliminary data has been collected on the effects of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in aquatic habitats and the effects on food chain dynamics. Model species used in the past 15 years include zebra fish, Atlantic salmon, coho salmon, rainbow trout, brook trout, Nile tilapia, walleye, hybrid striped bass, largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill, crappie, freshwater shrimp, marine shrimp, American lobsters, spiny lobsters, and 4 species of crayfish.

E-mail: pb@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/faculty/Brown/

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My lab group uses molecular markers to study otherwise cryptic aspects of organismal biology. For example, we are interested in how natural and sexual selection act in concert to maintain major histocompatibility complex (MHC) variation in natural populations. Molecules also can be used to monitor vertebrate animals, and we have used gender-specific markers and microsatellite DNA to track population turnover of endangered species. In addition to our population and conservation work, we are interested in molecular processes such as the transposition of genes from cytoplasmic genomes to the nucleus. Such transpositions are important because 1) they probably serve as a source for novel genes and 2) they are an excellent model for the transgene delivery systems used in human gene therapy.

E-mail: dewoody@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/html/faculty/DeWoody/DeWoodyweb/index.html

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I am interested in understanding how natural populations and communities respond to changes in the distribution and quality of habitats across complex landscapes, especially changes associated with human land-use. Most recently, my research group has used restoration ecology as a model system for studying the response of native organisms to changes in habitat distributions at the landscape scale. We have looked at the response of breeding amphibians, migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, and grassland birds and mammals to large-scale restoration of prairie and wetlands in landscapes dominated by modern agriculture. The interdisciplinary nature of our research is illustrated by a landscape-scale restoration of prairie and wetlands project at Kankakee Sands in northwest Indiana. Funded by The Nature Conservancy, Kankakee Sands is the largest private grassland restoration east of the Mississippi River. We are studying the effect of restoration on grassland and wetland organisms as part of a larger effort involving 8 colleges and universities in Indiana and Illinois, members of which are examining the genetic, population and community consequences of active restoration techniques, with projects focused on plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles and birds.

E-mail: jdunning@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/html/faculty/Dunning/index.htm

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The principal tenet of integrated weed management is that, by presenting weeds with a more complex pattern of management practices, weed populations can be decreased, resistance to management tactics delayed and herbicide inputs reduced. The complexity of integrated weed management systems requires that work be conducted from a whole-systems perspective. However most research conducted on weed management occurs at organizational levels below that of whole-systems and so is often of limited value to farmers and resource managers interested in adopting new approaches to weed management. The primary goal of my research program is to develop a better understanding of the relationships between management systems and the distribution and abundance of weed species within agricultural and forest ecosystems. We have ongoing collaborative projects in four main areas: 1) weed management systems in tomato, 2) biology and management of glyphosate-resistant horseweed site-specific weed management, 3) the susceptibility of forests to plant invasion and 4) the use of remote sensing to explore relationships between the spatial distribution of weeds and management systems. In addition to these major projects, we also have projects addressing garlic mustard population dynamics, and the role of seed predation in tomato cropping systems.

E-mail: kgibson@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.btny.purdue.edu/faculty/gibson/

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My research program examines the impacts of land use at different spatial scales on insect populations and movements, and on overall arthropod biodiversity. A main goal of my research group is to understand how to best configure landscapes at a range of spatial scales to balance human land use needs with the conservation of biodiversity. Understanding how to encourage native biodiversity while limiting the spread of invasive exotic species is another major goal. Most of the work done in my lab uses extensive field work on various arthropod species, and digital maps and air photographs in geographical information systems (GIS) to measure land use characteristics.

E-mail: jdhollan@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.entm.purdue.edu/landscapeecology/default.html

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My general research interests center on the interaction between the two components of sexual selection (mate choice and mate competition), and how these processes influence mating success and patterns of sexual dimorphism. I currently am working on 4 projects: 1) acoustic playback experiments on male and female American toads to determine how male-male interactions influence male vocal behavior and how females use male vocalizations in their choice of mates; 2) the ontogeny of a sexual dimorphism in tiger salamanders; 3) the reproductive biology of a naturally occurring, triploid, all female species of salamander; and 4) how the accidental or intentional release of genetically modified organisms could influence natural populations; in this research I use three fish species, Japanese medaka, Nile tilapia, and zebrafish.

E-mail: howardr@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/howard/index.htm

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Our research focuses on the adaptations that microbes make to their environment. Current work centers on a "natural" environment (soils contaminated with heavy metals and toxic organic compounds). The studies cut across several traditional disciplines in biology (physiology, genetics, genomics and ecology), and entail interactions with colleagues in environmental engineering and environmental chemistry. Analyses proceed on a number of levels, from measurement of microbial processes and community diversity in soil samples to dissection of the physiology and genetics of bacteria isolated from the contaminated soils. We use a systems approach to these problems. This method recognizes that with either a competing set of microbes in a natural environment or a competing set of biochemical reactions inside a cell there are complex interactions among components which can regulate and control the behavior of the system. Much of our interest is in the discovery of fundamental principles that underlie these complex systems. However, these fundamental principles have important application to significant environmental problems located in Indiana and throughout the U.S., as well as to improved technologies for industrial application.

E-mail: akonopka@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/konopka/index.htm

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With several international collaborators, we focus our research on the evolutionary genetics of a major crop pathogen, the rice blast fungus. Using DNA fingerprinting and other techniques, we've shown that rice blast populations throughout the world are each composed of a small number of distinct genetic families with limited pathogenic specificities. We've used this information to design strategies for durable resistance breeding that have proven successful in both the Americas and Asia. Deciphering how the fungus has evolved its specificities is our next goal.

E-mail: levym@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/levy/index.htm

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My research program has focused on two general areas: the dynamics of animal decision-making and (more recently) animal communication. Much of the work in behavioral ecology is based on the fundamental assumption that the evolution of behavior reflects a balance between the costs and benefits associated with any given behavior pattern; thus a study of costs and benefits should provide an understanding of the factors that regulate the evolution of that behavior. It is not a trivial matter, however, simply to enumerate all relevant costs and benefits of any behavior, better yet to understand how those costs and benefits combine to regulate the evolution of behavior. To this end, I have been developing models of animal decision-making processes and developing tests of the predictions of these models. We have modeled a fairly wide range of phenomena, from sperm allocation strategies in salamanders to lek attendance in sage grouse. Our tests of dynamic models have primarily focused on energy regulation and caching patterns in Carolina chickadee. My interest in animal communication began with an extension of my research on the effect of physiological state on foraging decisions, and has since become more focused on both the ecological aspects of communication and on mechanisms of signal reception. Carolina chickadees are an interesting model system for studies of communication because they are an example of a species whose vocal repertoire has a number of characteristics of a true language.

E-mail: jlucas@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/lucas/index.htm

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Drawing upon both molecular and experimental field approaches, research in my laboratory focuses on the population biology, evolution, and genetics of host-parasite interactions. The research program encompasses both host-parasite coevolution and the genetic structure of parasite populations. Variation in host-life history patterns may be a result of a parasite adaptation, a host adaptation or a non-adaptive side effect of the interaction. Genetic heterogeneity of hosts and parasites fuels the coevolutionary "arms race" leading to an array of varied outcomes. Using snail-trematode systems as models, we have demonstrated that hosts potentially modify the outcome of parasitic infection either by resisting infection (immunity) or varying other life-history parameters. Combinations of field observation and laboratory experimentation are utilized to better understand the interaction between host-parasite coevolution and variations in host-life-history. Interactions between trematodes and their snail hosts influence parasite genetic systems and impact on disease epidemiology in humans. Microsatellite DNA sequences are used to quantify host and parasite genetic heterogeneity in natural populations across space and through time. Currently, we are combining mathematical models and empirical field studies to assess and predict the genetic population structure of human schistosomes. Results will yield evolutionary insights into the epidemiological process, help identify genetic consequences of control strategies, and complement concurrent immuno-epidemiology studies of humans in endemic Brazilian communities.

E-mail: dennism@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/minchella/index.htm

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My research program encompasses quantitative genetics from new theoretical developments to direct applications and molecular genetics. My quantitative genetics research is divided into two areas: behavioral genomics and biotechnology risk assessment. In behavior genetics we are using a new method of selection, termed “group selection” to overcome problems of competition and cannibalism. Competition and cannibalism are one of the greatest problems in commercial aquaculture. We found that finfish will responded to group selection but not to classical individual selection, similar to many fish species such as carp. We see this as the solution to domesticating problem species, such as walleye and lobster, and improving production of shrimp. Our research suggest that through group selection, cannibalism, aggression, and territorialism may be reduced or eliminated. In biotechnology risk assessment associated with transgenic fish, our model showed that a transgene can increase in a population in several ways. Results also showed that the interaction of fitness component effects could offset each other. Relative to risk, the model showed that if sexual selection favors transgenic fish, while viability selection favors non-transgenic fish, a potentially dangerous situation can develop whereby the transgene is driven into the population by male mating advantages, but average fitness of the population decreases and causes population extinction. Results of our study show which parameters are critical for risk assessment and which characteristics need to be measured in commercial programs before any release is attempted. Some combinations of fitness components have a high potential to increase risk. We also examined development of phytase transgenic fish for enhancement of the environment and profitability of farming. Phytate is the major phosphorus storage form in plant seeds. The main objective of the research was to demonstrate that fish transgenic for the phytase gene can directly utilize phytate, eliminating phosphorous pollution from aquaculture operations.

E-mail: bmuir@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.ansc.purdue.edu/faculty/muir.htm

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My research interests lie at the intersection of evolution, genetics, physiology, and ecology. Currently, my research aims to understand the genetic basis and evolutionary history of variable life history traits, physiologies, adaptations, and ecological specializations in fishes. I use quantitative genetic and physiological tools in analyses aimed at identifying the genetic architecture of divergent traits. Using molecular and expression techniques, further dissection of genome regions and candidate genes for these traits is achieved. With these combined approaches, we are beginning to understand the number, identity, and expression of genes underlying the standing phenotypic variability among and within fish populations. With this information, we begin to test hypotheses about the evolutionary forces that have shaped this variation.

E-mail: kmnichol@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/nichols/index.htm

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My overall program focus is to contribute to the management of insect pests through the use of natural enemies -- predators, parasites, and pathogens -- a pest management approach referred to as biological control. My research program has both basic and applied components. In the basic area, I conduct comparative studies on insect ecology and the impact of natural enemies on pest dynamics in several crop systems. My applied research is focused on developing recommendations for integrating biological control into crop protection systems. Research is conducted in the US and in several international locations. My current focal insect pest is the soybean aphid an invasive (from Asia) species that threatens the economic production of soybeans in the Midwest.

E-mail: rjoneil@purdue.edu

Website:

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My research has concentrated on understanding forest ecosystems in relation to human activities. This research has ranged from the impact of heavy metals on ecosystems in northwestern Indiana to population dynamics of plant species in old growth forests to landscape processes. My research group has developed an ecological classification system for the Hoosier National Forest and is currently examining the context and characteristics of old growth forests in the central hardwood forest region and the impact of white-tailed deer on plant communities within public lands. My current interests involve the response of forest ecosystems to forest management activities such as timber harvest and prescribed fire.

E-mail: gparker@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/faculty/parker/index.htm

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I am interested in developing spatial simulation models that examine the impact of human behavior on environmental quality and ecological integrity. A major theme of my research is to apply the latest information technologies, such as neural nets, agent-based models, and geographic information systems, to understand the consequences of land use/land cover change. Most of my effort involves coupling land use/cover change models to other environmental or economic models and developing assessment approaches quantifying ecological integrity.

E-mail: bpijanow@purdue.edu

Website: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Ebpijanow/

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My research interests are in ecology generally, particularly at the levels of individual behavior, population dynamics, community structure, and biogeography, and particularly in conservation biology of tropical systems. Recent work has addressed the evolution of cooperative social systems in birds, the implications of dispersal patterns for population viability and genetics, resilience of forest bird communities to anthropogenic disruption, spatial organization of species diversity in tropical landscapes, and the conservation implications of correlations between local rarity and geographic range size in endemic species. In our most recent work in Costa Rica, we have combined field censuses of montane rainforest birds, GIS-based modeling of their habitat distributions, and geographic range information to explore the linkages among ecological specialization in these diverse communities, rapid change in species composition along environmental gradients ("beta diversity"), the tendency for endemic species to be rare at all scales, and the sufficiency of protected areas in systems where endemics are concentrated at higher elevations and in life zones both important to agriculture and vulnerable to climate change. Through collaborations we are also exploring the correspondence of spatial and temporal change in plant and animal communities and the genetic implications of increasingly fragmented distributions.

E-mail: krabenol@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/rabenold/index.htm

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I am a biological anthropologist who studies gorilla behavioral ecology and primate conservation in sub-Saharan Africa. I am currently working on a collaborative project on the impacts of multiple human disturbances on 5 groups of mammals (primates, carnivores, ungulates, rodents and shrews) in the Congo Basin. This research addresses both wildlife and human dimensions of ecosystem change. It contributes to our understanding of vulnerable ape populations, the ungulates and others which constitute the protein base for the region, changing subsistence patterns, hunting and logging practices, human-animal conflict, the bushmeat trade, and forest fragmentation. We are analyzing 20 years of wildlife census and ethnographic data to contribute to improvements in international approaches to conservation management. We also are involved with efforts to improve our understanding of the molecular genetics and conservation of Central African primate populations and the impacts of ecotourism on gorillas in East and Central Africa.

E-mail: remis@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.cla.purdue.edu/academic/socanth/directory/?personid=977

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My research focus is in wildlife ecology and genetics, including studies of the genetic consequences of species reintroduction programs, the use of genetic markers in applied wildlife management and conservation programs, the use of genetic markers to elucidate mating systems, movement behavior, and population structure of wildlife species and sustainability of wildlife species in human-dominated landscapes with an emphasis on the resolution of human-wildlife conflicts.

E-mail: rhodeso@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/html/faculty/Rhodes/index.htm

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I study the ecology and biology of scale insects and mealybugs to determine how the quality of host plants, habitats and landscapes contribute to pest outbreaks. At the primary trophic level, I am interested in how plant growth and physiology alters the susceptibility of plants to arthropod herbivory. At the second trophic level I am interested in how plant shape and growth affects the ability of natural enemies to regulate herbivorous arthropods. These studies can involve the host plant itself, or plants in the landscape that can provide the food and shelter resources to parasitic and predaceous arthropods that can act to reduce numbers of arthropod pests. On a larger landscape scale, I am interested in looking at how the proximity of plants to factors such as ant colonies, forests, meadows, and buildings alter herbivore and natural enemy population dynamics. I am interested in developing novel outreach programs for managing exotic and native pests of trees and ornamental plants with fewer pesticide inputs. I am also interested in working with regulatory agencies to develop programs that improve the detection of exotic wood borers on solid wood packing material in warehouses. Off-shore, I am interested in working with ornamental producers to reduce the abundance of pests in products designated for export. Currently I am developing a project in Costa Rica where I will be working with ornamental growers to help them develop tactics that reduce the abundance of scale insects and mealybugs on export crops.

E-mail: csadof@purdue.edu

Website: http://128.210.99.129/directory/entm/32.htm

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I am an ecotoxicologist with research interestes primarily focused on evaluating the sublethal effects of contaminants and other environmental stressors on the reproductive physiology of fish and wildlife; development and application of molecular biomarkers of exposure and effects to environmental contaminants; bioaccumulation rates and factors affecting bioavailability of contaminants in biota; and impact of diseases on wildlife populations, with special interest on parasitic diseases. Specific examples of my work include, 1) Systems Biology Modeling of Fathead Minnow Response to Endocrine Disruptors, 2) Physiological Effects of Cyanotoxins in Freshwater Fish, and 3) Ecological Impacts of Remediation at the Grand Calumet River: A Preliminary Assessment of Reproductive Success in Great Blue Herons.

E-mail: mssepulv@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/faculty/sepulveda/index.htm

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My overall interests include the applications of remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), forest simulations models, and forestry decision support systems in sustainable management of forest resources. I have worked to accurately map land use and land cover types at local and regional scales with multi-spectral data, GIS protocols and interfaces for straight-forward and consistent ecological landtype mapping, simulate and forecast forest development under natural and human-induced environmental conditions such as climate change, and convert state-of-the-art geospatial and modeling techniques into operational interfaces as tools for forest ecosystem management. A unique expertise in my research lab is the development and fine-tuning of individual-based forest models and assessment of the effects of climate change on forest structure with forest gap models. We are also interested in the impacts of forest policy and forestry practice on biodiversity conservation, timber supply, and soil/water protection in the temperate zone of Earth.

E-mail: shao@purdue.edu

Website: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Eshao/

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My research focuses on population- and community-level interactions involving freshwater fishes in both lotic and lentic ecosystems. The objective of my research program is to develop a greater understanding of the role of biotic and abiotic factors on the population ecology and biology of fishes and community structure of aquatic ecosystems in order to assist subsequent natural resource conservation and management efforts. Our current research is focused in three distinct areas: (1) population ecology and conservation of fishes in the Great Lakes basin; (2) ecology and biology of fish populations and communities in large river ecosystems; and (3) impacts of human-induced perturbations on aquatic community structure and function.

E-mail: tsutton@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/html/faculty/Sutton/index.html

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My research interests include effects of habitat fragmentation on wildlife, population and community ecology of mammals, spatial ecology, plant-herbivore interactions, and wildlife damage management. I rely on mathematical, experimental, and comparative approaches to address the importance of spatial structure for behavioral and ecological processes affecting the conservation and management of vertebrates. A goal of my work is to develop quantitative tools for informing policy makers and stakeholders of the consequences of land-use change for biodiversity and species conservation. My group currently is exploring the consequences of land use and climate change for conservation and management of wildlife and plant resources.

E-mail: rswihart@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/html/faculty/Swihart/index.htm

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"Molecular Ecology" describes the emerging application of molecular techniques to problems in ecology and evolutionary biology. Our program in this area focuses on mammalian social behavior, population dynamics and genetics. Students combine molecular genetics with traditional field observations in studying gorillas and forest monkeys in Central and East Africa, carnivores in Africa and Arizona, and small mammals in the southwestern US and in Indiana. We're particularly interested in developing DNA "fingerprinting" techniques that will let us monitor attributes of wild animal populations relevant to conservation. This work is highly collaborative, involving cross-school initiatives with faculty in the schools of Agriculture (Forestry & Natural Resources) and Liberal Arts (Anthropology). We also collaborate with biologists in Canada, Europe and Africa, where we are pursuing a long-term project in primate conservation.

E-mail: pwaser@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.biology.purdue.edu/people/faculty/waser/index.htm

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My research focus is in two general areas: avian breeding ecology and mammalian mineral nutrition. Avian work focuses on the impact of anthropogenic habitat and landscape features on avian behavior and productivity. Influences of habitat fragmentation, edge, and residential and agricultural development may positively or negatively influence populations/communities of birds. I evaluate such influences, in an attempt to identify and quantify factors critical to conservation efforts. Wild herbivorous mammalian species are in a delicate balance with sodium and other minerals available in the ecosystem. Deficiencies greatly impact behavior, morphology, physiology, and population dynamics of these species, and management of sodium supply has very real potential to modify many processes. I examine community and species-specific adaptations and responses to the dynamics of sodium availability.

E-mail: weeks@purdue.edu

Website: http://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/fnr/faculty/weeks/weeks.htm

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