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Lindsey Swierk PhD Student |
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Email: lns146@psu.edu Office: Mueller Laboratory, room 314 Phone: 814.865.7540
Education
BA 2007 University of Pennsylvania MES 2008 University of Pennsylvania
Research Interests
I am a PhD student in the IGDP in Ecology. I received my BA from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in Biology and Environmental Science, and later my MES in Environmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. My broad research goal is to uncover how animals alter their behavior to maximize fitness in non-ideal situations.
One facet of my research aims to understand why reproductive systems exist in which individuals are forced to mate against their will, to partners they do not prefer or under environmental situations that do not suit them. Although individuals often are forced to mate with partners that do not confer the best fitness benefits, the existence of these systems implies that even non-ideal matings can still be successful. I am investigating this phenomenon using garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) mating aggregations in Manitoba. In early spring at northern latitudes, snakes form mating aggregations of thousands of individuals. Males are constrained to mate within females’ narrow windows of sexual receptiveness, lasting until she mates or leaves the den area (often only a matter of minutes). Although males can be choosy, excessive choosiness likely results in higher costs due to missed mating opportunities. How do time-limited males maximize fitness when they must mate with non-preferred females?
In the future, I would like to expand my research focus by examining how species introduced into new environments (e.g. biological invaders) may change their reproductive strategies to maximize fitness. I would especially like to investigate if the low densities of available mates in invaded habitats may cause individuals to utilize different reproductive strategies, because the limited mating opportunities in low density environments will likely constrain them to mate with a greater proportion of non-preferred mates.
The introduction of non-native species is becoming increasingly common as global connectivity accelerates. I am also involved with a project investigating how the behavior of an invasive reptile, the green iguana (Iguana iguana), alters Puerto Rico’s mangrove forests. I am studying how the voracious appetite and particular food and microhabitat preferences of this invasive iguana may change nutrient flow in the mangroves, and consequently the behavior of detritus-loving invertebrates. By quantifying the impact of the introduction of a large herbivore to an island system where this niche was previously unfilled, I hope to provide novel insight into the nature and mechanisms of the cascading behavioral effects of invasive species.
Publications
Swierk, L.N. and T. Langkilde. 2009. Micronutrient input into a mangrove ecosystem in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico, by the exotic green iguana Iguana iguana. Current Zoology. In press.
Young, S. and L.N. Swiacki. 2006. Surveying the forest biodiversity of Evansburg State Park: Plant community classification and species diversity assessment. International Journal of Botany 2: 293-299. |
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Pennsylvania State University Biology Department |
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Langkilde laboratory |
