Christina Richards joined researchers from Armstrong University in Georgia, from Australia and the Netherlands in an investigation of the effects of variation of temperature and elevation on the seedling emergence, growth rate, plant size (height, rosette diameter, leaf number), time to produce flowers and capsules in a small Alpine herb, the waxy bluebell (Wahlenbergia ceracea). Seeds from plants at various elevations were collected and planted in greenhouses and grown at two different controlled temperatures to simulate early and summer growing seasons. Using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (AFLP), they found low but significant genetic differentiation between low- and high-elevation seedlings, and seedlings originating from low elevations grew faster and showed stronger temperature responses (more plasticity) than those from medium and high elevations. Although the authors did not find significant direct correlations between MS-AFLP loci and phenotypes, their results demonstrated that adaptive plasticity in temperature response to warming varied over fine spatial scales and suggests the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in this response. Read more about their study here

There is a growing interest in research into life history traits such as the pace of life of hosts and how the overlap of territories of hosts and parasites (syntopy) play a role in the development of resistance and tolerance to parasites. Jason Rohr recently conducted a study along with former USF IB graduate student Brittany Sears and Paul Snyder, (Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA.), in the host life-history and host-parasite syntopy of 7 species of tadpoles, predicting resistance and tolerance of the tadpoles to Plagiorchiidae cercarae parasites. Their study found that all 7 species of tadpoles exhibit anti-cercarial behavior, which increased with increased parasite exposure. Fast-paced tadpole species exhibited strong behavioral resistance to infection, while slow-paced species exhibited tolerance to infection. Read more about their study here

Malaria is a major source of morbidity and mortality through much of the developing world, affecting an estimated 219 million people in 2010, resulting in 660,000 deaths. About 90 percent of those affected live in sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate prediction of transmission risk through modeling is a key public health goal that is complicated by environmental and socioeconomic factors, compounded by political unrest in the region. Authors Leah Johnson, (USF Integrative Biology), Kevin Lafferty, (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA), Amy McNally, (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA), Erin Mordecai, (Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC), Krijn Paaijmans, (CRESIB, Hospital Clinic-Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, ES), Samraat Pawar, (Imperial College London, UK), and Sadie Ryan, (State Univ. of New York, Syracuse, NY) conducted a study titled "Mapping the distribution of malaria: current approaches and future directions" on the subject, published in the book Analyzing and Modeling Spatial and Temporal Dynamics of Infectious Diseases. Their study discusses various types of data necessary in constructing models of malaria transmission and approaches in constructing the models. Read about their study here

Increased sedimentation of Caribbean coral reefs has been widely acknowledged as an important stressor to the coral communities. For most of the reef locations, accurate records of changes of rate of sediment accumulation and change of land use are lacking. Authors Chantale Bégin, (USF Integrative Biology), Gregg Brooks, (Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL), Rebekka Larson, (Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL), Suzana Dragićević, (Simon Fraser Univ., Burnaby, BC, CN), Carlos Ramos Scharrón, (Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX), and Isabelle Côté, (Simon Fraser Univ., Burnaby, BC, CN) address this gap by conducting a quantitative study of these processes for two watersheds in the island of Saint Lucia in the West Indies. They used sediment cores collected near downstream coral reefs to examine changes in sediment composition and accumulation rate over the past several decades and relied upon a GIS-based sediment budget model to estimate recent sediment yields in the two focal watersheds and determine the likely source of increased sedimentation. Read about the findings of their study here

On September 18, Dr. Philip Motta and his Fish Biology class took a field trip to Fort DeSoto Beach, where they observed a fisherman catch a 5 foot long blacktip shark. The class students were able to assist the fisherman in successfully reviving and releasing the shark back into the Gulf waters. The Fish Biology class is offered every fall in the Department of Integrative Biology. See more photos from Dr. Motta and the Fish Biology Class lab field trips of 2014 here.

Some varieties of sea slugs are capable of kleptoplasty, digesting algae and incorporating algae chloroplasts in their cytoplasm. These slugs go on to use the chloroplasts to conduct photosynthesis as a source of energy for the animals. In order to maintain the chloroplasts over a period of months in their cytoplasm, it has been found that the slugs must also synthesizing proteins to maintain the chloroplasts. Authors Julie Schwartz, (USF Integrative Biology), Nicholas Curtis, (Ave Maria Univ., Ave Maria, FL), and Sidney (Skip) Pierce, (USF Integrative Biology) used fluorescent in situ hybridization to localize an algal nuclear gene, prk, found in both larval and adult slug DNA by PCR and in adult RNA by transcriptome sequencing and RT-PCR. The prk probe hybridized with a metaphase chromosome in slug larvae, confirming gene transfer between alga and slug. Read about their discovery here.

Obtaining meaningful statistical measurements of the concentration of pathogenic viruses in environmental waters has been a historically difficult task due to their low concentration in water and uneven distribution in human populations. Filtration of large volumes of water (in the order of 100 liters) in the field is often impractical, and samples may not survive transport to a lab for analysis. Methods are under development of concentrating small (1-2 liter) volumes of water for analysis using membranes, but few comparisons have been conducted of the methods. Authors Warish Ahmed, (CSIRO Land and Water, Queensland, Australia), Valerie (Jody) Harwood, (USF Integrative Biology), Pradip Gyawali, (CSIRO Land and Water, Queensland, Australia), Jatilander Sidhu, (CSIRO Land and Water, Queensland, Australia), and Simon Toze, (CSIRO Land and Water, Queensland, Australia), compared the efficiency of virus recovery for three rapid methods of concentrating two microbial source tracking (MST) viral markers human adenoviruses (HAdVs) and polyomaviruses (HPyVs) from one liter tap water and river water samples on HA membranes (90 mm diameter). Read about their findings here.

Neal Halstead and Jason Rohr (USF Integrative Biology) joined researchers from three other Universities in a study of the effects of temperature and moisture variability on the rate of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) growth on red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens). Climate change is being observed in regions around the globe. A recent study confirmed that increased temperature variability could exacerbate disease progression because of lags in the ability of the disease host to acclimate to the temperature changes. Using chytridiomycosis in red-spotted newts as the experimental model, the team of researchers exposed the newts to varying temperatures and levels of humidity and observed disease progression. Read about their climate change study here.

The genetic variation of a pathogen is essential information in studies of pathogen populations and how pathogens are distributed across geographic areas. Genetic variation provides key insight into parasite epidemiology, local patterns of virulence and the development of host-resistance, as well as identifying populations of pathogens that are genetically independent from each other, and "free" to adapt to new hosts and environments. Author Lynn (Marty) Martin joined 14 other investigators from 8 countries in an international investigation of the genetic variations of the globally distributed, highly invasive avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum. Their research demonstrates genetic independence between strains from Africa and temperate regions of Europe and Asia, as well as differences in parasites from the Hawaiian Islands. Read about their interesting findings here.

Free-living stages of parasites are consumed by a variety of predators. This may have important consequences for predators, parasites and hosts. Jason Rohr, (USF Integrative Biology) joined Julia Buck, (Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR), Katharina Scholz, (Univ. of Hohenheim, Stutgart, DE), and Andrew Blaustein, (Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR) to investigate such a relationship, using Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) tadpoles, zooplankton, and the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in a manmade environment in outdoor mesocosms. They measured the growth, development, survival and infection of the tadpoles as well as monitored the abundance of zooplankton, phytoplankton and periphyton in the holding tanks weekly. Read about their findings here.

The enemy release hypothesis (ERH) proposes that hosts encounter fewer infectious parasites in new areas of range than in established range, allowing the newcomers to adjust their immune system most effectively to allocate resources to thrive in the new environment and even expand their range. The immune response of inflammation is an important aspect of vertebrate immune defense, providing rapid defense against parasites. Authors Lynn (Marty) Martin, (USF Integrative Biology), Andrea Liebl, (University of Exeter, Cornwall, UK), and Holly Kilvitis, (USF Integrative Biology) conducted a study investigating whether and how covariation in the expression of genes affecting the regulation of inflammation have impacted the ability of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to invade and colonize Kenya, Africa. Read more about their study here.

Amber Brace, Sam Sheikali and Lynn (Marty) Martin, (USF Integrative Biology), conducted a study on sex-related differences in immune response. Using the brown anole (Anolis sagrei) as their study subject, they challenged the anoles with varying doses of Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and observed the induced immune responses. Their study tracked the exposure-dependent cost to the lizards by tracking the allocation of isotopically (carbon-13) labeled leucine (an essential amino acid) in the animals. Their study found both dose-dependent and sex-related differences in the immune responses of the animals. Read more about their study here.

Maria Laura Habegger, Ph. D. and Stephen Hesterberg, Master's degree candidate (Bell lab), graduate students in Integrative Biology, were awarded 2014 Mushinsky Graduate Student Research Award. This award, to be given annually to one PhD and one MS student, recognizes the research productivity and creativity of USF IB graduate students. A student can win an award only once, but a student can apply at any time and as many times as s/he would like during her or his USF IB career. Laura recently graduated from the Department. Her work focused on top marine predators, shark scale morphology and whale shark feeding behavior. Stephen is pursuing his Master's degree, with studies investigating the interaction between predator-prey dynamics and habitat complexity in oyster reef habitat. He has also participated in studying the predatory gastropod the King helmet (a shellfish valued for its large shell) and is participating in isotope studies of oysters in shell middens at Crystal River, Florida. Read more about their story here.

Using heavy nitrogen (N (15)) as a tracer for soil retention studies, David Lewis, (USF Integrative Biology) joined researchers Michael Castellano, (Iowa State Univ., Ames, Iowa) and Jason Kaye, (Penn State Univ., University Park, PA) to investigate nitrogen storage in young and old growth forests. The study found that mature forests stored nitrogen quickly and more efficiently in their soil bed and released it slowly due to the buildup of organic matter on the forest floor. Young forests lacked such organic matter and the capacity to retain nitrogen. Read more about their interesting findings here.

Translocation of endangered species are occurring at ever-increasing rates, including reintroduction, reinforcement and ecological replacement with assisted colonization. Authors Henry Mushinsky and Earl McCoy, (USF Integrative Biology) joined authors Jennifer Germano, (Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global, Escondido, CA), John Ewen, (Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK) and Luis Ortiz-Catedral, (Massey Univ., Auckland, NZ) in writing an editorial titled "Moving toward greater success in translocations: recent advances from the herpetofauna." In the editorial, the authors discussed past attempts at relocation and repopulation, current examples of studies and needs for future work, as well as reviewed articles covered in the publication accompanying their editorial. Read their editorial and the research articles in the special issue on recent advances in relocating herpetofauna here.

Jason Rohr (USF Integrative Biology) conducted a study along with Margaret Douglas, (Dept of Entomology, Penn State Univ., University Park, PA), and John Tooker, (Dept of Entomology, Penn State Univ., University Park, PA), of the influence of the neonicotinoid thiamethoxam, applied as a coating to soya bean seeds, on interactions among the beans, non-target molluscan herbivores and their insect predators. Working both in the laboratory and in the field, the authors examined the susceptibility of the pest grey garden slug Deroceras reticulatum to the insecticide. Their study showed the snails resistant to the chemical. However, the snails retained and concentrated the chemical in their bodies and transmitted the toxin at levels high enough to impair or kill ground-dwelling predaceous beetles, thus reducing the number of natural predators of the garden slugs, affecting crop yield. The implications of this discovery need to be considered in the application of insecticides in farming environments. Read more about their findings here.

Lynn (Marty) Martin (USF Integrative Biology) joined 34 other authors in writing a new book, titled Integrative Organismal Biology. He, Cameron Ghalambor (Colorado State Univ, Ft. Collins, CO ), and Art Woods (Univ of Montana, Missoula, MT) are the book editors. The 344 page book discusses the causes and consequences of individual variation at the physiological, behavioral and organismal levels in biology, covering key topics such as phenotypic plasticity and flexibility, summarizing emerging areas of research such as ecological immunology and oxidative stress biology. The 19 chapter book concludes with a series of case studies illustrating concepts discussed in the book. Read more about their book here.

Earl McCoy, Adam Emerick and Henry Mushinsky joined USF Integrative Biology alumni Nicholas Osman and Bradley Hauch in a study investigating the conditions necessary to successfully relocate a large population of Florida sand skink, Plestiodon reynoldsi Stejneger, from a site slated for mining to an apparently suitable, but unoccupied site. Florida sand skink are listed as environmentally threatened lizards, and the conditions for the successful relocation of these lizards were not known. An experimental plot meeting general conditions for relocation was identified and environmental conditions within the plot were varied within enclosures to tease out the conditions that promote successful relocation. Read about the results of their study here.

As the population of the state of Florida continues to increase, urban areas throughout the state are relying on wellfields to supply increased demands for potable water. Authors David Lewis (USF Integrative Biology) and Sharon Feit (USF Integrative Biology graduate, MS, 2012), investigated whether groundwater abstraction for urban water supply diminished the storage of carbon, nitrogen and organic matter in the soil of rural wetlands. The accumulation of wetland soil organic matter depends on the period of soil inundation. For this study, they investigated forested swamps and herbaceous-vegetation marshes in the area of the Tampa Bay metropolis in west-central Florida examining changes in nutrient accumulation as a result of change in surface water retention at various locations, and comparing nutrient levels with water retention data for the areas. Read about their findings here.

The chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been implicated in worldwide amphibian declines. Research has shown that the fungus preferentially infects keratinized areas of the skin of amphibians, which transitions in tadpoles from their mouthparts to their hindlimbs during metamorphosis. Scientists have lacked evidence of the consistency in timing of this transition of keratinization between species of frogs and the relationship of Bd infection of the related keratinized zones. Taegan McMahon (Department of Biology, University of Tampa, Tampa, FL) and Jason Rohr (USF Integrative Biology) studied two frog species from different geographic regions during metamorphosis and development of limbs, investigating both the timing of changes in keratin location in the tadpoles and timing of infection of different body parts of the tadpoles with Bd. Read about their study here.

Integrative Biology Professor Emeritus Sidney (Skip) Pierce, was featured in an interview in the Martha's Vineyard Gazette, covering the background story behind how he became involved in research on Elysia chlorotica and other photosynthetic sea slugs. Many are familiar with the work of Skip and his graduate students on these amazing animals that eat algae and incorporate algae chloroplasts into their cytoplasm to conduct photosynthesis. Read about what prompted the research work on these slugs here.

Sarah Knutie, post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Integrative Biology, was honored recently by having a newly discovered species of biting bird louse named after her. The louse species was discovered by researchers from the University of Utah while studying Macgregor's bowerbirds in New Guinea. Read more about the discovery here.

Antarctic albatross are long-lived predatory birds of the open ocean. Of 22 recognized species of albatross, 17 are listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. Leah Johnson was recently awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Polar Programs grant to study how bioenergetics and foraging affect population dynamics among the different albatross species. Joining her in the study will be Philipp Boersch-Supan, (USF Integrative Biology), Sadie Ryan (Univ of Florida) and Richard Phillips (British Antarctic Survey). They will create computer models that simulate the foraging movements of individual birds while keeping track of their energy reserves and will undertake an in-depth meta-analysis of existing individual tracking and life history data from multiple albatross species across successive life stages and construct, parameterize, and validate a suite of modular computer models that simulate different aspects of albatross physiology and behavior. Read more about their upcoming work here.

Bina Nayak and Valerie (Jody) Harwood joined two researchers from the University of West Virginia to study the accuracy of using quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays (qPCR) to determine Bacteriodales fecal bacteria contamination from poultry litter runoff in the environment. Bacteriodales are found in more abundance in animal feces than E. coli, and it has been reported that their survival in extra-intestinal environments is limited. The research team studied dispersal of Bacteroidales from poultry litter in both a laboratory and river environment. Their studies show that microbial source tracking (MST) using Bacteriodales is feasible, but that caution should be used when interpreting qPCR results targeting Bacteriodales in watersheds likely impacted by poultry litter. Read about their study here.

When individuals within a population tend to mate with those most similar to them (called assortative mating), it increases the amount of genetic variation in the population. In turn, that affects how quickly the population can change genetically in response to climate or other environmental change. In a study of 31 native plant species in Ontario, Canada, Gordon Fox joined two Canadian researchers in quantifying the amount of assortative mating for flowering schedules. Although reproductive timing is widely thought of as an example of a trait subject to assortative mating, this is the first such study published for natural plant populations. Some populations had very strong assortative mating, while others had less. Climate change is expected to increase the length of the reproductive season for spring-flowering species more than for summer-flowering species, but there was no difference detected in the amount of assortative mating between these species. Read more about their study here.

In 1964 approximately 245 million kilograms (539 million pounds) of active ingredients of pesticides were applied in the United States, a time shortly after the writing of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring. By 1998, this value had climbed to and leveled off at approximately 500 million kilograms (1.1 billion pounds) active ingredients, about 1.5kg (3.3 pounds) active ingredients per U. S. citizen today. Although pesticides are applied in particular locations, runoff and atmospheric drift carries them into the aquifer, and movement through our food chain distributes them widely, threatening our health and the environment. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has been tasked with monitoring and regulating the use of pesticides in our country and with mitigation in their misuse. The USEPA's methods of risk assessment have come into question over the years, and have, many times, been found inadequate. Jason Rohr joined a group of U. S. scientists in evaluating current risk assessment practices. They propose a uniform system to improve this process. Read their evaluation of the current system and recommendations for improvement in their publication here.

Mammalian bone is constructed and repaired by cells called osteocytes, producing bone that can bear load and stress. The bone of fish is lacking these cells and osteocytic bone structure, giving fish bone a lamellar sheet-like structure, similar to tree rings, with flexibility, unable to handle the stress that mammalian bone can bear. An exception to this statement is the bone found in the bills (rostra) of billfish, which has a striking resemblance to the long bones of mammals. Billfish rostra contain overlapping osteons, lamellated tubular structures with central canals in the bone that help the bone to bear greater strain and deformation before failure. While these bones have central canals similar to the Haversian canals of mammalian bone, there are no lacunae or osteocytes present in the bone. Authors Laura Habegger and Philip Motta join an international group of scientists in a study of this unique bone structure of these top marine predator fish. Read more about their interesting study here.

Florida is a state of abundant freshwater resources. Using a geographic information system and topographic maps, authors W. R. White (Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences, Univ of Florida, Gainesville, FL) and Thomas Crisman (USF Integrative Biology) surveyed 5,829 headwater streams in Florida, studying their elevation, stream length, flow regime, surrounding geology and vegetation to develop a framework for water conservation. Their survey assigned each headwater to one of four types: wetland, seep, lake or spring. Twenty-six rivers traverse the state, and were separated into four groups through cluster analysis of drainage density. Their study concludes that stream conservation efforts should focus on both highly complex dendritic river networks in the State's panhandle and on the more arid central portion of the State, an area that may become, in their words, "a significant dispersal bottleneck for aquatic biota seeking refuge farther north from projected climate change." Read more about their study here.

Territorial isolation renders many species particularly vulnerable to introduced parasites to which the native hosts have developed no means of defense. The invading parasites can decimate native populations. The Galápagos Islands present such an environment, and the larvae of the parasitic nest fly Philornis dowsi, which feed on nestlings of finch on the island, is one of the introduced parasites. In some years, nests at a given location on the islands can fail at 100% due to infestations from this fly. In a study on the possibility that finches on the islands could be encouraged to carry out a self-fumigation campaign in their nests, authors Sarah Knutie (USF Integrative Biology), Sabrina McNew (Department of Biology, Univ of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT) and Andrew Bartlow (Facultad de Biosciencias, Univ. Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain) treated cotton fibers with permethrin insecticide (with cotton fibers treated with water as a control group), offered the fibers to island finches, then studied the results. They found that the finches took the cotton to their nests, and nests fumigated with permethrin had significantly fewer parasites and fledged more offspring than nests treated with water, presenting a potential method to provide for parasite control in bird nests on the island. Read about their interesting study here.

Understanding the relationship between environmental factors and pathogen growth is an important factor in determining the ecological drivers of disease outbreaks, as is seen in the current Ebola outbreak in Africa. In a study of microenvironments and their effects on fungal growth and disease progression on three species of Australian frogs, authors Lisa Stevenson (School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook Univ, Townsville, Queensland, AU), Elizabeth Roznik (USF Integrative Biology), Ross Alford (School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook Univ, Townsville, Queensland, AU) and David Pike (School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook Univ, Townsville, Queensland, AU) determined whether the average natural thermal regimes experienced by sympatric frog species in nature, in and of themselves, can account for differences in vulnerability to disease. Using the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection as the disease model, the authors measured growth rates of fungal cultures grown under temperatures mimicking those experienced by wild frogs, and drew conclusions on how species-specific thermoregulatory behaviors influence disease progression. Read about their findings here.

In a study on the variables involved in a species acting as a host reservoir to a pathogen, Lynn (Marty) Martin joined four other researchers to study the relationship between the life history and demographics of nine small eastern North American mammals which carry tick-borne diseases. This group of small mammals, including small rodents (such as eastern chipmunks and white-footed mice), and shrews, are among the most competent natural reservoirs for three tick-borne zoonotic pathogens, Borrelia burgdorferi, causing Lyme disease, Babesia microti, causing a malaria-like infection, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, causing a bacterial infection of white blood cells. Their study found support for the hypothesis that the most competent wildlife reservoirs for the three pathogens were hosts that occurred in high population densities and had fast life histories compared to the other types of animals in the study. Read about their findings here.

Few people have the adventure of diving into the depths of the ocean and actually observing the marine life at hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor. Kathleen (KT) Scott is one of those people who have had that opportunity. In her studies at USF, KT specializes in the study of deep sea bacteria and their methods of adaptation to the harsh environment that they live in. A Pint of Science, an internationally syndicated Internet blog, interviewed KT about her fascinating work, and the remarkable life forms that she studies. Listen to her interview as she describes the fascinating world of bacteria and read more about her story here.

Virulence of infectious pathogens can be unstable and evolve rapidly depending on the evolutionary dynamics of the organism. Experimental evolution can be used to characterize pathogen evolution, often with the underlying objective of understanding evolution of virulence. Using culture passages changes of the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) as an experimental model, Leah Johnson and eight coauthors investigated changes in virulence expressed in the fungus as a function of lineage passage time. Starting with a single frozen stock, and allowing one line to pass 10 times and another 50 times, virulence and sporing capability were tested in vitro and the ability to infect a green tree frog host was tested for both experimental groups. Read more about their study here.

Thomas L. Crisman, professor in USF Integrative Biology, has been awarded a Jefferson Science Fellowship (JSF) in the Department of State in Washington, D. C., where he will serve as senior advisor on global water issues in the Office of Conservation and Water in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. The JSF program complements and enhances the existing efforts by the permanent staff within the U.S. Department of State/USAID. Following the initial fellowship year, the Jefferson Science Fellow will return to his/her academic career, but will remain available to the U.S. Department of State/USAID for short-term projects over the subsequent five years. Read more about Tom, the JSF fellowship, and his research here.

Temperature strongly affects muscle contractile rate properties and thus may influence whole-organism performance. Movements powered by elastic recoil, however, are not affected by temperature as much as muscle-powered movements are. Authors Christopher Anderson (USF Integrative Biology, now at Brown University, Providence, RI), Nicholas Larghi (USF Integrative Biology, now at Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL), and Stephen Deban (USF Integrative Biology) examined the whole-organism performance, motor control and muscle contractile physiology underlying feeding in the salamander Eurycea guttolineata. They compared elastically powered tongue projection to the associated muscle-powered retraction to determine the thermal robustness of each of these functional levels in the salamander over various temperature ranges. Read more about their study here.

Marc Lajeunesse received a 2 year National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant to study issues in ecology in the United States and in China. Marc's project, titled "Workshop to advance theory and use of meta-analysis in ecology in the U. S. and China", will bring experts in meta-analysis together with ecology experts. The workshop is planned for 2015. Read more about Marc and the workshop here.

Lynn (Marty) Martin co-authored a paper with USF graduate Andrea Liebl on a study of how physiological flexibility in house sparrows (Passer domesticus) could enable the birds to better colonize new territory, expanding the range of the species. Read more about their study, which builds on their previous work with house sparrows, here.

Suzanne Young, doctoral candidate in Integrative Biology (Harwood/Rohr labs) won a competition for a US EPA STAR research Fellowship. The title of her research project was, "Effects of climate change on waterborne human pathogens and antibiotic resistant bacteria". Read more about Suzanne, her research work and award here.

Valerie (Jody) Harwood has accepted the position of Interim Chair of the USF Department of Integrative Biology, filling the position vacated by Peter Stiling as he takes his new position in the Provost's office. Jody has had a successful career in the Department of Integrative Biology at USF since 1998, and is recognized as a world expert in water quality, microbiology, microbial source tracking and water contamination. Read more about her work here.

Peter Stiling, Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology, is stepping down from his position as Department Chair in Integrative Biology to take a new position as Special Faculty Assistant in the USF Office to the Provost. Peter served as Chair in the IB Department for 3 years, during a transition and growth time for the Department. His new role at USF will also involve coordinating a STEM program across all USF Campuses and conducting feasibility studies for affiliation programs with outside organizations such as Sea|Mester and a USF London program. He will continue to teach classes in the IB Department. His new position begins August 7. Read about Peter's story here.

David Lewis co-authored a paper demonstrating the capabilities of remote satellite imaging in determining the soil parameters in areas densely covered with coastal vegetation. The authors investigated soil properties indicative of soil functions such as nutrient and organic matter turnover and storage. Their results demonstrate that remote-sensing spectral models can successfully predict soil properties indicative of ecosystem nutrient and organic matter turnover and storage, and do so in areas with dense canopy cover. Read about their study here.

Philip Motta has been invited to give a lecture on his lab's research into the dynamics of shark and bony fish feeding behavior. The lecture is part of the Road Series lectures, held at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. The title of Phil's talk is: "JAWSOME, Shark and Fish Research at the University of South Florida." For more information on attending this free lecture, and about Phil's research, look here.

In a comparative study of various types of habitat found in tidal tributaries, Susan Bell co-authored a paper studying 11 undeveloped, agricultural, industrial and urban tidal tributaries in Tampa Bay, monitoring nekton (free-swimming organism) performance in the communities. Her study examined fish and crustacea for 11 parameters of health and life quality. Read about her interesting findings here.