Dr Lisa Schwanz
University of Canberra Postdoctoral Fellow
Institute for Applied Ecology
University of Canberra
ACT 2601 Australia
| Location: | Building 3, Room B21 |
| Phone: | (02) 6206 3943 |
| Fax: | (02) 6201 5305 |
| Email: | |
| Website: | www.lisaschwanz.weebly.com |
Education
PhD 2006. University of New Mexico
BA 2000. University of California, Berkeley
Research interests
- Phenotypic plasticity
- Mammalian sex allocation
- Temperature-dependent sex determination
- Disease ecology
- Life history evolution
- Ecoimmunology and endocrinology
I am broadly interested in the evolution and ecology of phenotypic plasticity, and employ empirical and theoretical approaches. When is plasticity adaptive, how does it evolve in different environments, what are the physiological mechanisms, and does it allow populations to track or adapt to changing conditions? These questions emphasize the functional ecology of plasticity and the consequences for population ecology, particularly in extreme environments. I examine plasticity in life history, behavior and physiology in response to climate, habitat, individual condition and parasitic infection.
Selected publications
Robert, K.A. and L.E. Schwanz. 2011. Emerging sex allocation research in mammals: marsupials and the pouch advantage. Mammal Review 41(1):1-22.
Schwanz, L. E., D. Brisson, M. Gomes-Solecki and R.S. Ostfeld. 2011. Linking disease and community ecology through behavioural indicators: immunochallenge of white-footed mice and its ecological impacts. Journal of Animal Ecology 80:204-214. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01745.x
Schwanz, L.E., R.-J. Spencer, R.M. Bowden and F.J. Janzen. 2010. Climate and predation dominate early life-stages and adult recruitment in a turtle with temperature-dependent sex determination: insight from a long-term study. Ecology 91:3016-3026.
Schwanz, L.E., F.J. Janzen and S.R. Proulx. 2010. Sex allocation based on relative and absolute condition. Evolution 64:1331-1345. doi 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00916.x
Robert, K.A., L.E. Schwanz and H. R. Miller. 2010. Offspring sex varies with maternal investment ability: empirical demonstration based on cross-fostering. Biology Letters 6:242-245. doi 10.1098/rsbl.2009.0774.
Schwanz, L.E. and F.J. Janzen. 2008. Climate change and temperature-dependent sex determination: can plasticity in maternal nesting behavior prevent extreme sex ratios? Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 81: 826-834.
Schwanz, L.E. and S.R. Proulx. 2008. Mutual information reveals variation in temperature-dependent sex determination in response to environmental fluctuation, lifespan and selection. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 275:2441-2448.
Schwanz, L.E. 2008. Persistent effects of maternal parasitic infection on offspring fitness: implications for adaptive reproductive strategies when parasitized. Functional Ecology 22:691-698.
Schwanz, L.E., J.G. Bragg and E.L. Charnov. 2006. Maternal condition and facultative sex ratios in populations with overlapping generations. American Naturalist 168(4):521-530.
