Ellen Ketterson
Ellen D. Ketterson is an American evolutionary biologist, behavioral ecologist, neuroendocrinologist and ornithologist best known for her experimental approach to the study of life-history trade-offs in a songbird, the Dark-eyed Junco. She is currently a Distinguished Professor of Biology, Director of the Environmental Resilience Institute, and affiliate professor in Congnitive Science, Gender Studies, Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, and Neuroscience at Indiana University.
Ellen Ketterson | |
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Known for | Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Ornithology |
Awards | American Ornithological Society Elliott Couse Award, 1996
Wilson Ornithological Society Margaret Morse Nice Medal, 1998 Guggenheim Fellowship, 2004 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2009 Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2014 Cooper Ornithological Society Alden Miller Award, 2014 |
Scientific career | |
Institutions | Indiana University |
Education and career
Ketterson obtained all of her degrees from Indiana University.[1][2][3] She received A.B. in 1966 and M.A. in 1968, both in Botany.[1][2] She received her Ph.D. in 1974 in Zoology.[1][2]
After receiving her doctoral degree, Ketterson was a postdoctoral scholar from 1974 to 1975 at Washington State University working with avian environmental physiologist James R. King.[1] She was an assistant professor at Bowling Green State University from 1975 to 1977 before joining the faculty in the Department of Biology at Indiana University in 1977.[1] Ketterson was appointed as a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Indiana University in 2006. [1] She was also appointed as an affiliated faculty member of the Gender Studies department in 2003 and as a program faculty member of the Cognitive Science department in 2006 at Indiana University[1].
Ketterson co-founded the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior at Indiana University and served as the co-director from 1990 to 2002.[1][2] Ketterson has been a senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender, and Reproduction at Indiana University since 2007.[1][2] Since 2017, Ketterson has served as the director of the Environmental Resilience Institute at Indiana University, which aims to predict impacts of environmental change and develop solutions to prepare Indiana businesses, farmers, communities and individuals for those impacts.[4][5]
In 2004, Ketterson received a Guggenheim fellowship to study plumage variation in junco species across North and Central America.[1][2] Ketterson served as the president of the American Society of Naturalists in 2015.[1][6] She has also won several major awards recognizing her career achievements in ornithology, including the American Ornithological Society Elliott Couse Award (1996), Wilson Ornithological Society Margaret Morse Nice Medal (awarded jointly with Val Nolan, Jr. in 1998), and the Alden Miller Award from the Cooper Ornithological Society (2014).[1] She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).[1]
Research
Ketterson and her trainees, with her longtime collaborator and partner Val Nolan, Jr., have conducted long-term field studies combined with experimental manipulation of free-living dark-eyed juncos at the Mountain Lake Biological Station in Virginia since the 1970s.[7][8][9] Early in her career, Ketterson focused on differential migration, a pattern of movement in which females migrate farther than males.[10][11]
Ketterson developed the experimental approach of manipulating levels of the hormone testosterone in free-living birds and comparing behavior, physiology, and fitness to controls in order to study the evolution of life history trade-offs.[12][13][14] She coined the coined the term ‘phenotypic engineering’ to describe this approach.[12][14] Ketterson's research showed that experimentally-elevated levels of testosterone increase aggression, reduce paternal care, and cause males to sing more.[13] In addition, testosterone-treated males are preferred by females in mate choice tests[15] and are more successful at mating outside the pair bond.[16] However, she also found that testosterone-treated males have shorter life spans[13] and reduced immune system function.[17] Her research thus provided a mechanistic understanding of the fitness consequences of altering how animals allocate time and energy to competing demands (i.e. reproduction versus survival).
Later, her work explored whether hormones, which affect multiple target tissues simultaneously and mediate coordinated suites of traits, either constrain or potentiate adaptation.[18][19] This work foreshadowed her interest in addressing limits to organisms' ability to respond to environmental change and the role of hormonally-mediated seasonal timing of behaviors (like reproduction, molt, and migration) in the generation and loss of biodiversity. As the director of the Environmental Resilience Institute, she leads a team of Indiana University researchers to prepare the Hoosier state for the effects of on-going environmental change.[20]
The Ketterson research group currently conducts field research at a number of sites throughout the range of junco species, including in Indiana at Kent Farm on the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve,[21][22] in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia at the Mountain Lakes Biological Station,[8][9] in California on the University of California, San Diego campus and at Laguna Mountain,[23] in northwest Wyoming at Grand Teton National Park,[24] Idaho,[25] South Dakota,[26] Mexico, and Guatemala.[27]
The 2013 documentary film project, 'Ordinary Extraordinary Junco: Remarkable Biology from a Backyard Bird' highlights years of research conducted by Ketterson and her colleagues.[28]
Personal life
Ketterson was married for 28 years to the ornithologist Val Nolan, Jr., her Ph.D. mentor and long-time collaborator, until his death in 2008.[29]
Awards and recognition
- Fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union, elected 1988[1]
- Member of International Ornithological Committee, elected 1990[1]
- Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society, elected 1994[1]
- American Ornithological Society Elliott Couse Award, 1996[1][30]
- Wilson Ornithological Society Margaret Morse Nice Medal (awarded jointly to both her and Van Nolan, Jr.), 1998[1][31]
- Animal Behavior Society Exemplar Award, 2003[1]
- John Simon Guggenheim fellow, 2004[32]
- Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), elected 2009[1]
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, elected 2014[33]
- Cooper Ornithological Society Alden Miller Award, 2014
- Animal Behavior Society, Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Award, 2018[34]
Media and Outreach
- Interviewed on Big Biology podcast in 2020
Publications
- Kimmitt, A.A., Sinkiewicz, D.M., Ketterson E.D. (2020). Seasonally sympatric songbirds that differ in migratory strategy also differ in neuroendocrine measures. General and Comparative Endocrinology 285, 113250.
- Whittaker, D.J., Slowinski, S.P., Greenberg, J.P., Alian O., Winters A.D., Ahmad M.M., Burrell M.J.E., Soini H.A., Novotny M.V., Ketterson, E.D., Theis, K.R. (2019). Experimental evidence that symbiotic bacteria produce chemical cues in a songbird. Journal of Experimental Biology 222 (20), jeb202978.
- Kimmitt, A.A., Hardman, J.W., Stricker, C.A., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Migratory strategy explains differences in timing of female reproductive development in seasonally sympatric songbirds. Functional Ecology 33 (9), 1651–1662.
- Reed, S.M., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Breeding Latitude and Annual Cycle Timing in a Songbird. IU Journal of Undergraduate Research.
- Liebgold, E.B., Gerlach, N.M., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Density‐dependent fitness, not dispersal movements, drives temporal variation in spatial genetic structure in dark‐eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). Molecular Ecology 28 (5), 968–979.
- Singh, D., Reed, S.R., Kimmitt, A.A., Alford, K.A., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Breeding at higher latitude as measured by stable isotope is associated with higher photoperiod threshold and delayed reproductive development in a songbird. bioRxiv, 789008.
- Reichard, D.G., Atwell, J.W., Pandit, M.M., Cardoso, G.C., Price, T.D., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Urban birdsongs: higher minimum song frequency of an urban colonist persists in a common garden experiment. bioRxiv, 761734.
- Graham, J.L., Bauer, C.M., Heidinger, B.J., Ketterson, E.D., Greives, T.J. (2019) Early‐breeding females experience greater telomere loss. Molecular Ecology 28 (1), 114–126.
- Needham, K.B., Bergeon Burns, C., Graham, J.L., Bauer, C.M., Kittilson, J.D., Ketterson, E.D., Hahn, T., Greives, T.J., (2019). Changes in processes downstream of the hypothalamus are associated with seasonal follicle development in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). General and Comparative Endocrinology 270, 103–112. [35]
References
- "Departmental CV — Ellen D. Ketterson" (PDF). www.indiana.edu. January 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-06-06. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
- "Ellen D. Ketterson: IU News Room: Indiana University". newsinfo.iu.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Evolutionary Biologist Ellen Ketterson". Profiles — Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Leadership". Environmental Resilience Institute Part of the Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "IU launches toolkit to help communities cope with environmental change". News at IU. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Past Officers of the ASN". www.amnat.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Ellen Ketterson". www.amnat.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Mountain Lake Biological Station, U.Va". mlbs.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Virginia: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Val (July 1976). "Geographic Variation and Its Climatic Correlates in the Sex Ratio of Eastern-Wintering Dark-Eyed Juncos (Junco Hyemalis Hyemalis)". Ecology. 57 (4): 679–693. doi:10.2307/1936182. ISSN 0012-9658. JSTOR 1936182.
- Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Val (1983), "The Evolution of Differential Bird Migration", Current Ornithology, Springer US, pp. 357–402, doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-6781-3_12, ISBN 9781461567837
- Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Val (Nov 1992). "Hormones and Life Histories: An Integrative Approach". The American Naturalist. 140: S33–S62. doi:10.1086/285396. hdl:2022/17322. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 19426026.
- Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Val; Wolf, Licia; Ziegenfus, Charles (Dec 1992). "Testosterone and Avian Life Histories: Effects of Experimentally Elevated Testosterone on Behavior and Correlates of Fitness in the Dark-Eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)" (PDF). The American Naturalist. 140 (6): 980–999. doi:10.1086/285451. hdl:2022/17323. ISSN 0003-0147.
- Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Val; Cawthorn, Michelle J.; Parker, Patricia G.; Ziegenfus, Charles (2008-06-28). "Phenotypic engineering: using hormones to explore the mechanistic and functional bases of phenotypic variation in nature". Ibis. 138 (1): 70–86. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.1996.tb04314.x. ISSN 0019-1019.
- Enstrom, David A.; Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Jr, VAL (1997-11-01). "Testosterone and mate choice in the dark-eyed junco". Animal Behaviour. 54 (5): 1135–1146. doi:10.1006/anbe.1997.0555. ISSN 0003-3472.
- Raouf, Samrrah A.; Parker, Patricia G.; Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Val; Ziegenfus, Charles (1997-11-22). "Testosterone affects reproductive success by influencing extra–pair fertilizations in male dark–eyed juncos (Aves: Junco hyemalis)". Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences. 264 (1388): 1599–1603. doi:10.1098/rspb.1997.0223. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 1688731.
- Casto, Joseph M.; Nolan, Jr., Val; Ketterson, Ellen D. (Apr 2001). "Steroid Hormones and Immune Function: Experimental Studies in Wild and Captive Dark‐Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis)". The American Naturalist. 157 (4): 408–420. doi:10.1086/319318. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 18707250.
- Ketterson, Ellen D.; Nolan, Jr., Val (July 1999). "Adaptation, Exaptation, and Constraint: A Hormonal Perspective". The American Naturalist. 154 (S1): S4–S25. doi:10.1086/303280. hdl:2022/17324. ISSN 0003-0147. PMID 29586711.
- McGlothlin, Joel W.; Ketterson, Ellen D. (2008-05-12). "Hormone-mediated suites as adaptations and evolutionary constraints". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences. 363 (1497): 1611–1620. doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.0002. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 2606720. PMID 18048296.
- Fryling, Kevin. "New IU Grand Challenge initiative to tackle environmental threats". News at IU. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Kent Farm: About Us: Research and Teaching Preserve : Indiana University". Research and Teaching Preserve. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Indiana: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "California: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Wyoming: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Idaho: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "South Dakota: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Mexico and Guatemala: Research: Ketterson Lab: Indiana University Bloomington". Ketterson Lab. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "With songbird as star, 'Ordinary Extraordinary Junco' movie puts spotlight on evolution, IU research: IU News Room: Indiana University". newsinfo.iu.edu. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Yakusawa, Ken (2008). "In Memoriam: Val Nolan, Jr., 1920–2008" (PDF). The Auk. 125 (3): 749–750. doi:10.1525/auk.2008.3708.
- "AOS Coues Award Recipients | American Ornithology". www.americanornithology.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- Smallwood, John A. (1998). "Proceedings of the Seventy-Ninth Annual Meeting". The Wilson Bulletin. 110 (4): 585–598. JSTOR 4164018.
- "John Simon Guggenheim Foundation | Ellen D. Ketterson". www.gf.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Membership". www.amacad.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Ketterson to receive Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Award". Department of Biology. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
- "Ketterson Lab website".