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USF Home > College of Arts and Sciences > Department of Biology - IB Division

IB Division
Department of Biology
Lynn Martin

Lynn Martin

Lynn Martin
Assistant Professor

Contact

Office: SCA 130
Phone: 813/974-0157
Email:

Links

Education

Ph.D., Princeton University, 2004.
Post-doctoral Fellow, Ohio State University.

Research

Ecological physiology and immunology

Research Interests:

Immunity is a largely neglected but potentially important determinant of fitness for wild animals.  Historically, immunologists have favored reductionism, but integrative study of the immune system may shed new light on many basic biological questions, including i) why senescence occurs, ii) why current reproductive effort often hinders future reproductive success, iii) why stress suppresses some aspects of immune activity but up-regulates others, and iv) why immune defenses are so labile in spite of presumably strong selection for robust disease resistance.

My research interests address several questions including:

  1. how physiological systems impinge on life history variation among and within species
  2. how and why immune defenses vary in space and time
  3. how expensive is the use, maintenance, and development of the immune system
  4. how steroid hormones, particularly those involved in stress, affect immune defenses
  5. how physiological and behavioral traits mediate species’ invasiveness
Actively seeking graduate students (MS and Ph.D.)

I am actively seeking graduate students (MS and PhD) interested in working on one or more of the following projects:

  1. Immune and endocrine correlates of invasiveness in house sparrows
  2. Environmental influences on responses to allergens in rodents
  3. Stress effects on immunity in rodents and birds
  4. Sickness behavior and fever in rodents and bird

If interested, please contact me via email. Include a short description of your interests, a resume/CV if you have one, and contact information.

Current Courses

RefCourseSecCourse TitleCRDayTimeLocation
55356BSC 4910035Undergraduate Research
2  TBA TBA
55409BSC 6910005Directed Research
1-19  TBA TBA

Recent Publications

Martin, LB, ZM Weil, and RJ Nelson. 2007. Immune defense and reproductive pace of life in Peromyscus mice. Ecology 88: 2516-2528.

Martin, LB, KJ Navara, ZM Weil, and RJ Nelson. 2007. Immunological memory is compromised by food restriction in deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative, and Comparative Physiology 292: R316-320

Martin, LB, BC Trainor, MS Finy, and RJ Nelson. 2007. HPA activity and neotic and anxiety-like behavior vary among Peromyscus species. General and Comparative Endocrinology 141: 342-350.

Lee, KA, LB Martin, D Hasselquist, RE Ricklefs, and M Wikelski. 2006. Contrasting adaptive immune defenses and blood parasite prevalence in closely related Passer sparrows. Oecologia 150: 383-392

Martin, LB, P Han, J Kwong, and M. Hau. 2006. Cutaneous immune activity varies with physiological state in female house sparrows (Passer domesticus). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 79: 775-783

Martin, LB, ZM Weil, JR Kuhlman, and RJ Nelson. 2006. Trade-offs between cutaneous immune responses in female white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). Functional Ecology 20: 630-636

Martin, LB, P Han, J Lewittes, JR Kuhlman, KC Klasing, and M Wikelski. 2006. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) induced skin swelling in birds: histological support for a classic immunoecological technique. Functional Ecology 20: 290-300

Martin, LB, D Hasselquist, and M Wikelski. 2006. Immune investments are linked to pace of life in house sparrows. Oecologia 147: 565-575

Martin, LB, ZM Weil, and RJ Nelson. 2006. Refining approaches and diversifying directions in ecoimmunology. Integrative and Comparative Biology 46: 1030-1039

Lee, KA, LB Martin, and M. Wikelski. 2005. Responding to inflammatory challenges is less costly for a successful avian invader, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus), than its less invasive congener. Oecologia 145: 244-251

Martin, LB, and L. Fitzgerald. 2005. A taste for novelty in invading house sparrows. Behavioral Ecology 16: 702-707

Martin, LB, J Gilliam, P Han, KA Lee, and M Wikelski. 2005. Corticosterone suppresses immune function in temperate but not tropical house sparrows (Passer domesticus). General and Comparative Endocrinology 140: 126-135

Martin, LB, MI Pless, J Svoboda, and M Wikelski. 2004. Immune activity in temperate and tropical house sparrows: a common garden experiment. Ecology 85: 2323-2331

Martin, LB, A Scheuerlein, and M Wikelski. 2003. Immune activity elevates energy expenditure of House Sparrows: a link between direct and indirect costs. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B Biological Sciences 270: 153-158