Michele A. Johnson


Washington University in St. Louis
Losos and Templeton Labs

Department of Biology
Washington University
Campus Box 1229
St. Louis, MO 63130-4899

EMAIL: mjohnson@biology2.wustl.edu
PHONE: 314-935-7256
FAX: 314-935-5125


CURRENT RESEARCH

My dissertation research focuses on the behavioral ecology of 14 species of Caribbean lizards in the genus Anolis. I am using behavioral and habitat data collected in the field to test the hypothesis that unrelated species occurring in similar microhabitats will exhibit more similar patterns of territoriality than closely-related species in different microhabitats. I am also using microsatellite markers to examine the spatial pattern of paternity in relation to habitat openness. This will determine whether a male lizard who maintains a territory in an area with high visibility will father more offspring with the females who live in his territory than a lizard whose territory is more cluttered (and presumably more difficult to defend from intruding males). By using a comparative (i.e., phylogenetically-informed) analysis, I can explore the generality of the relationship between habitat and territorial behaviors.


PUBLICATIONS

(* indicates undergraduate coauthor)

  • Johnson, M. A., M. Leal, L. R. Schettino, A. C. Lara, L. J. Revell, and J. B. Losos. In revision. A phylogenetic perspective on foraging mode evolution in West Indian Anolis lizards. Animal Behaviour.

  • Revell, L. J., M. A. Johnson, J. A. Schulte, II, J. J. Kolbe, and J. B. Losos. In revision. A phylogenetic test for adaptive convergence in rock-dwelling lizards. Evolution.

  • Singhal, S.*, M. A. Johnson, and J. T. Ladner*. In review. The behavioral ecology of sleep: natural sleeping site choice in three Anolis lizard species. Behaviour.

  • Sanger, T. J., P. M. Hime, M. A. Johnson, J. Diani, and J. B. Losos. In review. Laboratory protocols for husbandry and embryo collection of Anolis lizards. Herpetological Review.

  • Glor, R. E., M. A. Johnson, and A. Larson. In press. Polymorphic microsatellite loci for the Puerto Rican crested anole (Anolis cristatellus) and their amplification in related Puerto Rican species. Conservation Genetics.

  • Johnson, M. A., R. Kirby*, S. Wang*, and J. B. Losos. 2006. What drives habitat use by Anolis lizards: habitat availability or selectivity? Canadian Journal of Zoology 84: 877-886. PDF

  • Johnson, M. A. 2005. A new method of temporarily marking lizards. Herpetological Review 36:277-279. PDF

  • Browne, R. A., D. J. Anderson, M. D. White, and M. A. Johnson. 2003. Genetic varation of Opuntia cactus species of the Galápagos Islands and coastal Ecuador. Noticias de Galápagos 62:11-15.

    OTHER PROJECTS

      MANUSCRIPTS CURRENTLY IN PREPARATION
    • Differences in prey (arthropod) availability and abundance across Anolis microhabitats in collaboration with S. Wang and R. Kirby
    • Habitat selection for display behaviors in Sceloporus undulatus
    • Comparison of local and regional habitat use of two species of Anolis lizards on Puerto Rico with J. Knouft
    • Community age and invasion history in zooplankton assemblages in collaboration with J. Chase

      DATA COLLECTION IN PROGRESS
    • Effects of blood parasites (including malaria) on Anolis behavior in collaboration with S. Perkins (AMNH), A. Chen, J. Shaw, C. Fresquez, and T. Ramsey
    • Heritability of performance traits in lizards with B. Langerhans and L. Revell
    • Dewlap size and display behavior in Jamaican Anolis lizards in collaboration with J. Ladner and S. Singhal
    • Development of microsatellite markers for Anolis carolinensis in collaboration with J. Kolbe




      EDUCATION

      
	08/2001-present
		Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
		Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology
		PhD expected, 2007

      
	08/1997-05/2001
		Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
		Biology major, Chemistry and German minors
		Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Biology, May 2001







    • Recent Field Trips

    PUERTO RICO, June-August 2004, Assistants Su Wang and Becky Kirby JAMAICA, June-August 2005, Assistants Jason Ladner and Sonal Singhal
    SOUTH BIMINI, April-May 2006, Assistant Becky Kirby DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, June-August 2006,
    Assistants Annie Chen, Taylor Ramsey, Carla Fresquez, James Shaw




    FIELD STATIONS

    OTHER LINKS
    El Verde Field Station, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico Losos lab home page
    Discovery Bay Marine Lab, Discovery Bay, Jamaica Templeton lab home page
    Tyson Research Center, Eureka, Missouri Chase lab home page
    Coralsol Resort, Barahona, Dominican Republic Evolution, Ecology, and Population Biology at Wash U
    (not a field station, but a great place to do field work!) Washington University
    Wake Forest University
    Organization for Tropical Studies


    Last updated April 23, 2007