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Academics - Biology Faculty & Staff

Academics - Biology Faculty & Staff

Bradley Carlson

Associate Professor of Biology

CONTACT:

Hays Science Hall 120
765-361-6460
carlsonb@wabash.edu
Curriculum vitae

Picture of Carlson, Bradley

My research and teaching interests include ecology, zoology, and animal behavior. Most of my research focuses on two related questions: why do animals differ from each other in phenotypic traits, and what are the ecological consequences of these differences? I’ve emphasized behavioral diversity within species (‘animal personality’), but I also explore variation in other traits – such as body size and shape – and differences between species. I’m especially interested in how natural enemies affect and respond to diversity in the behavior, morphology, and physiology of their prey. I primarily examine these questions in two groups of organisms: ‘herps’ (amphibians and reptiles), and arthropods (especially scorpions). For example, I’ve studied behavioral variation in tadpoles and their interactions with predators, the effects of morphological variation on locomotion in newts, and sex differences in aggression in scorpions. I'm also interested in studies of natural history on poorly-described species, supporting our capacity to protect them and their habitats as well as furthering basic science. Interested students can become involved in many aspects of my research, including field work, experimental ecosystems, behavioral observations, physiological analyses, and morphometrics.

Outside of the academic setting, I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids, especially hiking and camping. I also enjoy nature photography, and I’m slowly trying to develop competency in woodworking.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, May 2014
B.S. in Biology, Bethel University, St. Paul, MN, Dec 2008

RECENT COURSE OFFERINGS

BIO 112 – General Biology

BIO 213 – Ecology

BIO 221 – Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy

BIO 313 - Advanced Ecology

BIO 401 – Senior Seminar

Freshman Tutorial: Monsters

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

2017. Invited speaker. Indiana State University.

2017. Joint Meeting of Ichthyology and Herpetology. Austin, TX.

2016. Invited speaker. Purdue University

2016. International Congress of Arachnology. Golden, CO.

2016. Box Turtle Conservation Workshop. Urbana, IL.

2015. Invited speaker. DePauw University. Greencastle, IN.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Kashon, EAF, and BE Carlson. 2018. Consistently bolder turtles maintain higher body temperatures in the field but may experience greater predation risk. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 72:9.

Carlson, BE, and T Langkilde. 2017. Body size variation in aquatic consumers causes pervasive community effects, independent of mean body size. Ecology and Evolution 7:9978-9990.

Lambert, MR, Carlson, BE, Smylie, MS, and L Swierk. 2017. Ontogeny of sexual dichromatism in the explosively breeding Wood Frog. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 12:447-456.

Carlson, BE, and T Langkilde. 2016. The role of resources in microgeographic variation in Red-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus v. viridescens) morphology. Journal of Herpetology 50:442-448.

Carlson, BE, CJ Thawley, and SP Graham. 2016. Natural History of the Valley and Ridge Salamander (Plethodon hoffmani): Demography, Movement, Microhabitats, and Abundance. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 11:315-327.

Carlson, BE, and WS Parker. 2016. Resurrected records: “new” reptile occurrence records for Montgomery County, Indiana. The Journal of North American Herpetology 2016:19-22.

Carlson, BE, JC Newman, and T Langkilde.  2015. Food or fear: hunger modifies responses to injured conspecifics in tadpoles. Hydrobiologia 743:299-308.

Carlson, BE, and T Langkilde. 2014. Predation risk in tadpole populations shapes behavioral responses of prey but not strength of trait-mediated indirect interactions. Oikos 123:1519-1527.

Carlson, BE, McGinley, S, and MP Rowe. 2014. Meek males and fighting females: sexually-dimorphic antipredator behavior and locomotor performance is explained by morphology in bark scorpions. PLOS ONE 9: e97648.

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