Do you like lizards? Field research? The BAHAMAS? You will want to know about this week’s #coolbiologyjob!

My heart is warmed – one of my celebrated guests in ‘Nerd Corner‘ has come back looking for a few little nerdlets assist him in the Bahamas this summer.

Dr. Manuel Leal of Duke University has a few ‘plum’ field research jobs to up for grabs…

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Here are the details:

2-3 assistants are needed for field research on the behavior and ecology of the lizards Anolis sagrei and Leiocephalus carinatus on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas.  The projects are part of a long-term study evaluating behavioral plasticity and its consequences on ecological and evolutionary processes.  Assistants will be in charge of collecting focal observations and general ecological data.  Duties include assisting in data collection, analyzing video recordings, habitat characterization, and data entry.  Assistants must be FLEXIBLE in their needs, comfortable living and working in close quarters, and able to work under hot, humid conditions.  Assistants MUST enjoy watching and describing the behavior of animals for long periods of time, while working under relatively isolated conditions.  Prior experience is desirable but not required.

Photo by Manuel Leal

This is a GREAT opportunity for undergraduates with an interest in pursuing graduate studies in behavioral ecology or herpetology.  An overview of the day-to-day activities related to this project can be found here.

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Want to apply?

Email a cover letter, resume, and contact info for two references to Manuel Leal (mleal@duke.edu).  Review of applications will begin immediately.

Only the coolest scientists hang out in Nerd Corner! This Week: Dr. Cassandra Extavour of Harvard…

Dr. Cassandra Extavour is a Geneticist at Harvard University

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CB: What are your research interests in a nutshell?

CE: I’m a developmental biologist, and my interest is in the evolution of developmental mechanisms – especially the mechanisms that control early embryonic development.  I’m most interested in the fate of the germ cells, the cells that ultimately make eggs and sperm.  In my lab we study the evolution of the genes that control the ‘decision’ of germ cells to become germ cells.

CB: It’s so interesting to think about evolution acting on the developmental process.  The whole field of evo-devo is fairly new is it not?

CE: Well the questions that it’s asking are very old – but the ways in which we’re able to address them now using the tools of molecular genetics represents a new approach.

CB: You’re at the forefront of the EVO-DEVO-ECO research, and you are launching the new EDEN network.  Can you tell us a little about this project?

CE: Sure! I was trained in Drosophila genetics, and Drosophila is a fantastic model organism for many reasons.  People have been working on this organism for over 100 years, so there are tools, methods and protocols that are well developed for use with Drosophila.  However, several organisms that we’re now interested in studying have perhaps never been looked at in a lab setting.  So the purpose of EDEN is to provide funding for researchers to develop techniques for use with less traditional organisms.  We hope to take the protocols that are developed with EDEN funding and have them publicly available, so that researchers don’t need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ when they want to try a molecular technique with a novel organism.

CB: What are some of the novel organisms that people are starting to look at in this way?

CE: Yes, these are known as ‘emerging model systems’.  In my lab we use crickets, milkweed bugs, lobsters, shrimp, spiders, mites, fleas…lots of different arthropods! In labs that have traditionally studied mammals like the common mouse, new species of mice are being investigated, as well as shrews, voles and possums.  In the plant world people are working on mosses, ferns and many types of algae.

Photo of Limulus by Cassandra Extavour

CB: You took a trip to Panama last year, was this trip for collecting some of these critters?

CE: That trip was actually for an invertebrate biology class I teach.  The best way for students to appreciate invertebrate diversity is to see it!  The tropical ocean represents some of the most biodiverse habitat for invertebrates, so we take our students to Panama for a week for them to see the organisms in their natural habitats.

CB: There must be a large waiting list for this class!

CB: Can you tell us about one of your most recent publications?

3D reconstruction of Parhyale hawaiensis germ cells at the germ band stage of embryogenesis, before the split between germ cells of the left and right gonad. Pink = Vasa protein; blue = nuclei. (photo by Cassandra Extavour)

CE: I have a book chapter coming out that I’m really excited about.  It’s in a book called ‘Key Transitions in Animal Evolution’.  My chapter was co-written with a student, and we make hypotheses about the evolution of the genetic control of germ cell formation.  We predict that key genes involved in the synthesis of germ cells may have evolved analagously in different organisms. We look forward to testing our hypotheses by examining the genome-encoded proteins of several organisms to find genes (and encoded proteins) that are analagous to the ‘OSCAR’ gene of Drosophila.

CB: So which organisms will you examine in this regard?

CE: It’s always nice to stay close to home…so we work with several arthropod species.

CB: What advice do you have for budding biologists?

CE: You need to find a subject that truly interests you! If you are a person who likes to ask their own questions, then biology is a great place for you.  Also, there are many ways to approach science – if you have a negative experience in one field or setting, that doesn’t mean that you don’t like science…you just need to find the area that suits you the most.  I changed fields between my PhD and my postdoc, so this advice rings true for me.  Be open to the idea that science takes many forms, and it’s important to find what niche works best for you.

CB: Do you have any non-biological talents?

CE: I’ve been an instrumentalist for most of my life, and for the past 10 years I’ve also been a singer.

CB: Do you ever perform?

CE: Yes, I have done several concerts in Boston since I’ve been here!

CB: IF you could have 3 guests for dinner, who would they be?

CE: Opera singer Joan Sutherland (who also changed her direction mid-career), Ernest Everest Just – a not so famous cell biologist – but one of the first black scientists to work at Woods Hole Marine Institute.  He worked there at a time when it was racially segregated, yet he was an extremely prolific and successful scientist.  Thirdly I would choose Malcolm X.

CB: A very ecclectic crowd!  What would be on the menu?

CE: These days I’m really into raw kale.  So I would definitely include a salad comprised of kale.  I’m also into pastry, and making things I’ve never made before…so I think I’d like to try making donuts.

CB: Kale and Donuts!  I love it!!!  Dr. Extavour, thanks so much for having a chat with me!

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Want to hear more about EDEN, Dr. Extavour’s upcoming book chapter and much more?

Download the PODCAST!

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Dr. Megan Frederickson from the University of Toronto is in Nerd Corner this week!

Dr. Fredrickson is a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto.

CB: Describe your research interests in a nutshell

MF: I study the ecology and evolution of mutualisms, which are the cooperative interactions between species. In addition to how these interactions evolve in the first place I’m interested in their role in structuring ecological communities.  For example, what are the consequences of mutualisms for the diversity or function of ecosystems?

CB: Why do organisms ‘decide’ to enter into this kind of relationship?  Are mutualisms equal, or are there imbalances in the benefits to each organism?

MF: The most commonly used definition for a mutualism is that it can be any interaction between species in which both species benefit.  I think that what a lot of people don’t always appreciate is that each species is still acting in its own best interest, but it just so happens that both species can obtain a benefit from the interaction as well.  There are many examples where mutualists pay an initial cost to begin the interaction, but a greater benefit is obtained over their lifetime.

CB: Do mutualisms generally involve organisms with fairly long lifespans?

MF: Most of my research is about the interactions between ants and plants.  I study a group of plants which provide food and shelter rewards to attract ants, and the ants defend them against herbivores.  The ant colony lives its entire existence within the plant, which can be between 5 and 15 years.  The interactions between these two organisms are therefore very long term.

CB: Are mutualisms generally across kingdoms, or are there examples of mutualisms involving more closely related organisms?

MF: In general, mutualisms tend to involve distantly related organisms. The reason for this is twofold:  first, closely related organisms may have similar resource requirements which would make their interactions more competitive in nature.  Also, most mutualisms are between organisms who are exchanging goods or services that are quite different in nature.  In the case of the ant/plant mutualism that I study the plants provide food and shelter, whereas the ants are providing the service of protection against herbivory.  This vastly different set of benefits depends on these organisms being distantly related.

CB: Your research mostly takes place in the tropics, but how does the landscape of mutualisms differ between temperate and tropical environments?

MF: Great question!  There’s no common consensus at the moment about whether mutualisms are more common in temperate or tropical forests, though it’s been argued both ways.  A pivotal paper from earlier this century argues that mutualisms are more common in places like Siberia where the environment is harsh – hence creating a ‘need’ for organisms to work together.  However, other papers argue that mutualisms are more common in the tropics, where the competitive landscape is tougher.  I don’t think that there’s an easy way to quantify where they are most common.

CB: Your field work takes place in the Peruvian Amazon…what’s it like there?  How much time do you spend there each year?

MF: I go at least once per year, and it’s usually for 3 months.  Most of the field stations are pretty rustic, but we have platforms for pitching tents or an area for eating.  There’s usually limited access to electricity.  Access is only by river, so you’ve got to spend many hours on a boat in order to get there.  It’s fun!  It’s amazing to be in a place where there’s no human disturbance.

CB: Once you’ve arrived to the field station, what do your field work days consist of?

MF: I enjoy doing experimental work.  The ant/plant system is amenable to manipulation and experimentation.  This past summer I finished up a year-long experiment in which I planted 50 trees, and varied the presence/absence of herbivores and mutualists.

Alex Wild Photography

CB: What is your advice to budding biologists?

MF: Find a project or question that really gets you excited, and pursue that.  The things that determine success in biology are passion for what you are doing, along with really hard work.

CB: Do you have any non-biological talents?

MF: I really like to dance, and Latin America is a great place to do that!

CB: Guilty pleasures?

MF:  I must have some…I spend so much of my day being intellectual, so I sometimes end up reading trashy novels or watching silly tv shows at the end of the day.

CB:  LOVE IT!  You know, people appreciate knowing things like this J

CB: If you could have 3 guests for dinner,  alive or dead, who would you choose?

MF: A lot of biologists probably say Darwin I’m sure!  I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to speak to someone who was in the Amazon forests before there were any Europeans there.  It would be interesting to know how different life was before there were European creature comforts.  Also, I’ve been really interested in reading about ‘Isabella Godin’.  She was the first European woman to travel the length of the Amazon, from Ecuador to Brazil.  She was looking for her husband, who was lost for 20 years after making the same trip.

CB: Did she find him?

MF: Yes, she did!

CB: Would her husband be your third guest for dinner then?

MF: Sure, he could come along!

CB: What would be on the menu?

MF: One of my favourite things to eat in the Amazon is double fried plantains, with salted pork.  The food we eat at the field stations is all acquired from local farmers.

CB: Well thank you so much for stopping by today Dr. Fredrickson!  It was wonderful to hear all about your work and life as a biology professor!

Want to hear more about field life in the Peruvian Amazon or about Dr. Frederickson’s research?  Listen to the podcast!

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