Faculty Profile
Susan Balenger
Assistant Professor of Biology
Phone Number: (662)915-7162
Email: balenger@olemiss.edu
http://biology.olemiss.edu/susan-balenger/
Key Words:
Research Description: Sexually selected traits can evolve to become more or less elaborate through numerous pressures in their environment, including predators and parasites. Both the strength and direction of response to parasitism in populations, i.e., greater elaboration versus simplification or loss, depends largely on whether the parasite exploits the sexual signal to help it locate a host. Sexual ornaments are expected to become more pronounced in response to parasite introduction when they function as honest signals to the opposite sex of the health or genetic quality of their bearer. However, when sexually selected traits increase conspicuousness to not only the intended receiver (e.g., females) but also to unintended receivers, like predators and parasites, they may be reduced or even lost. With my dissertation, I studied the former scenario; a songbird-bacterial pathogen relationship in which males with the capacity to recover fastest from infection have the most attractive plumage coloration. These fast healing males also exhibit adaptive changes at the level of gene expression when infected, relative to males with less attractive plumage. Currently I study the latter case; an evolutionarily recent host-parasite relationship in which the parasite is driving a change in mate signaling in a host species. This research addresses the role of parasites in the evolution of an acoustic sexual signal and the role of behavioral plasticity in accommodating rapid signal loss.
Honors Theses:
Shingrani, Hetal Ramesh (2022) American Goldfinches (Spinus tristis): Changes in Behavior During Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection (full text)
Smith, Joshua (2020) The Relationship Between Glucocorticoids and the Humoral Immune Response to Mycoplasma gallisepticum Challenges in Eastern Bluebirds (full text)
Denton, McKenzie Xiang (2019) Effects of Vertical Transmission of Maternal Antibodies to Mycoplasma Gallisepticum on Growth and Condition of Eastern Bluebird Nestlings (Sialia Sialis) (full text)
Fry, Meredith A (2019) Effects of Mycoplasma gallisepticum on experimentally infected Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) (full text)
Kaur, Gurshan (2019) Effects of the Pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum Transmission on Growth and Condition of Eastern Bluebirds Nestlings (Sialia sialis) (full text)
Available Research Projects:
Behavioral and molecular mechanisms of songbird disease resistance and tolerance
Project Description: Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is a respiratory pathogen of poultry species. Approximately 25 years ago, MG was identified in wild populations of House Finches, a ubiquitous songbird. More recently, we have recognized that other species of songbird also become infected with MG, but species vary greatly with respect to symptom severity, probability of mortality due to infection, and probability of mounting an adaptive immune response. My research program will be examining these host responses to infection in a variety of species of wild bird, in particular House Finches, American Goldfinches, and Eastern Bluebirds. I will also be examining the relationship between individual personality traits and likelihood of infection in the wild.
Desired Student Qualifications: Strong work ethic and dedication to the project. Interest in host-pathogen relationships & disease. Skills that would be helpful: basic carpentry; drivers license; experience handling/bleeding animals (especially birds).
Project Timeline: As new faculty, this project is just getting started and so I am looking for someone who is looking to dedicate a minimum of one year (including the summer) to it.
Duties of Student Researcher: Fall - assist in building bluebird nesting boxes. Once built, the student will assist in mounting the boxes at the university field station. Winter/Spring - care of experimental wild birds in animal facility on campus (feeding, watering, cleaning cages...) Spring/Summer - Monitoring nest boxes, performing antibody and PCR assays on bird blood. An applicant with previous experience handling birds or collecting blood samples may also be tasked with collecting blood.
Last Updated on 2016-09-12 11:44:34