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Welcome to the WilsonLab at Auburn University!
My approach to research is
multidimensional. First, I use large-scale observational
studies and meta-analysis of existing data from the literature
to discover patterns in nature. Then, I identify mechanisms
mediating these patterns through laboratory and field-based
experimentation.
As an ecologist, I am
interested in aquatic plant-herbivore interactions and
identifying the ecological and evolutionary consequences of intraspecific genetic and phenotypic variation on aquatic
communities and ecosystems. My current research, in part, focuses on the
ecology of cyanobacterial blooms with an emphasis on
understanding how biotic and abiotic factors influence
cyanobacterial bloom formation.
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News
January 2012
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I just completed another successful trip to
Purdue to hangout with
Tomas Höök
and his students to discuss our Lake Michigan river plume
project.
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I was able to return to a local daycare to
teach the kids about aquatic foodwebs and aquatic-terrestrial
linkages. I wish I had the kids' energy and the
teachers' patience.
December 2011
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Katie LeMay, one of our 2011 REU superstars,
just learned that her
Sigma Xi Grants-in-Aid of Research proposal was selected
for funding. You continue to rock, Katie! Good
job.
November 2011
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I just returned from another fun-filled trip
teaching limnology in Can Tho, Viet Nam, at Can Tho
University. This year's class of 20 students was
jam-packed with field experiments and limnological sampling.
October 2011
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More traveling. I visited my buddy,
Nate Dorn, during a visit to Florida Atlantic University.
Cash (little speck in middle of cows) and I got to check out
the MacArthur Agro-Ecology
Research Center to discuss future research projects.
I love cows!
September 2011
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We just hired a bunch of undergrads to help out
in the lab, including Sydney Stewart, Enrique Doster,
Catherine Priester, and Micaela Sandoval. Welcome to the
WilsonLab.
August 2011
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Sydney, Del, Michael, and I visited the Montgomery Zoo to
sample their animal moats with Dr. Jack Kottwitz. They
had some beautifully green moats. I especially enjoyed
our sampling vessel (behind the sampling team in the photo
below).
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Michael and I are headed to
Austin
for ESA. It is bound to be a good time.
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Our new USGS
project is open for business. We are currently
looking for collaborators at state and federal agencies and
colleges and universities interested in collecting data aimed
at forecasting blooms of cyanobacteria in freshwater sites
throughout the Southeast. If this opportunity interest you,
please contact
Alan.
Please spread the word about this project.
July 2011
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Rusty Wright,
Kevin Schrader, and I just heard that our
USGS - National
Institutes for Water Resources proposal was funded. This
project will aid in establishing a large network of academics
and agency scientists aimed at forecasting algal blooms
throughout the Southeast. Thank you, USGS!
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Sam Logan's meta-analysis on child motor skill development
just got accepted for publication. Great job, Sam.
Logan, S. W., L. E. Robinson, A. E. Wilson, and W. A.
Lucas 2011. Getting the fundamentals of movement: A
meta-analysis of the effectiveness of motor skill
interventions in young children as assessed by the test of
gross motor development. Child: Care, Health &
Development. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01307.x
(PDF)
June 2011
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Michael just got the call about his
EPA STAR graduate research fellowship proposal. EPA will
be supporting Michael with gobs of money for the next three
years to continue studying Daphnia-cyanobacteria
interactions. You rock on, Michael!!
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Peter Essick
from National Geographic magazine visited our lab to capture
pictures for a story on the effects of excess nitrogen
fertilization.
May 2011
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Our paper describing huge intraspecific
variation in grazing vulnerability for a bunch of
Microcystis aeruginosa clones is headed for print - White,
J. D., R. B. Kaul, L. B. Knoll, A. E. Wilson, and O.
Sarnelle. 2011. Large variation in vulnerability to
grazing within a population of the colonial phytoplankter,
Microcystis aeruginosa. Limnology and
Oceanography 56(5):1714-1724
(PDF)
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Using the outreach skills I learned working
with Dr.
Nalini Nadkarni, I recently gave an aquatic ecology talk
to kids at a local daycare. Sadly, I learned that
earthworms are much cooler than Daphnia.
April 2011
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One of our undergrads, Del Anderson, has been
awarded an AU undergraduate research fellowship. This
$6,000 award will support Del's research for the next school
year. Way to go, Del!
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I just got back from Olympia, Washington, where
I hung out with Dr.
Nalini Nadkarni and her students to learn how to share my
lab's research with diverse groups including children (see
below), moviegoers, and prisoners through Nalini's NSF-funded
Research Ambassador Program.
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Lauren Jernigan has been accepted into AU vet
school for the 2011-2012 school year. Congratulations,
Lauren!
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Michael Chislock has been honored as an AU
Outstanding Master's Student for 2010-2011 by the AU Graduate
School. This is awesome news, Michael.
Congratulations!
March 2011
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Our data from Lago
de Patzcuaro just got accepted for publication - Berry, J. P., E. Lee, K. Walton, A. E.
Wilson, and F. Bernal-Brooks. 2011. Microcystin
production by a persistent cyanobacterial bloom in Lago de
Patzcuaro (Michoacan, Mexico), and apparent bioaccumulation of
the toxin in small commercial catches of fish.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
30(7):1621-1628.
(PDF)
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Auburn University showcased our lab through its
new Take 5 outreach campaign.
Check out
the story and photos!
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Michael Chislock has been awarded another grant,
this time for $500, from Auburn University to attend
ASLO's 2011 winter meeting in Puerto Rico. More
great news!
February 2011
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Michael Chislock has been awarded a $250 from the
AU College of Sciences and Mathematics to attend
ASLO's 2011 winter meeting in Puerto Rico.
Awesome!
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During the ASLO meeting, Michael Chislock and I
had the opportunity to sample some Puerto Rican reservoirs and
wetlands with our friends, Drs. Stefanie Whitmire, Gustavo
Martinez, and David Sotomayor.
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Recent papers
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Logan, S. W., L. E. Robinson, A. E. Wilson, and W. A.
Lucas 2011. Getting the fundamentals of movement: A
meta-analysis of the effectiveness of motor skill
interventions in young children as assessed by the test of
gross motor development. Child: Care, Health &
Development. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01307.x (PDF)
-
White, J. D., R. B. Kaul, L. B. Knoll, A. E.
Wilson, and O. Sarnelle. 2011. Large variation
in vulnerability to grazing within a population of the
colonial phytoplankter, Microcystis aeruginosa. Limnology and Oceanography 56(5):1714-1724
(PDF)
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Berry, J. P., E. Lee, K. Walton, A. E.
Wilson, and F. Bernal-Brooks. 2011. Microcystin
production by a persistent cyanobacterial bloom in Lago de
Patzcuaro (Michoacan, Mexico), and apparent bioaccumulation of
the toxin in small commercial catches of fish.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
30(7):1621-1628.
(PDF)
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Wilson, A. E., R. B. Kaul, and O.
Sarnelle. 2010. Growth rate consequences of
coloniality in a harmful phytoplankter. PLoS ONE
5(1):e8679. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0008679
(PDF)
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Sarnelle, O. and A. E. Wilson. 2008 Type
III functional response in Daphnia. Ecology
89(6):1723-1732.
(PDF)
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Links
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