Beth Macdougall-shackleton, Phd
Associate Professor, Ecoimmunology and behavioural
Department of Biology
University of Western Ontario
Canada
Biography
Beth MacDougall-Shackleton, PhD Associate Professor, Ecoimmunology and behavioural ecology of migratory birds, of Department of Biology at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Research Interest
Parasites are taxonomically and geographically widespread, and can have catastrophic effects on host survival and reproduction. As a result, parasites are increasingly recognized as critical drivers of host evolution. Research in my lab seeks to understand how evolutionary processes such as parasite-mediated selection interact with ecological processes such as seasonal migration, natal dispersal, mate choice and immune development to shape patterns of genetic variation within and among songbird populations. Specific projects include evolutionary arms races between songbirds and malarial parasites; geographic variation in parasite assemblages and in immune-related loci such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC); effects of infectious disease on the timing, distance and success of seasonal migration; ecological immunology of migration and dispersal; and chemical and acoustic signals by which songbirds advertise their genetic makeup at MHC and assess that of potential mates.
Publications
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Sarquis-Adamson Y, MacDougall-Shackleton EA. Song sparrows Melospiza melodia have a home-field advantage in defending against sympatric malarial parasites. Royal Society open science. 2016 Aug 1;3(8):160216.
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Kriengwatana B, Wada H, Macmillan A, MacDougall-Shackleton SA. Juvenile nutritional stress affects growth rate, adult organ mass, and innate immune function in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. 2013 Sep 9;86(6):769-81.
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Soisson SM, MacDougall-Shackleton B, Schleif R, Wolberger C. The 1.6 Ã… crystal structure of the AraC sugar-binding and dimerization domain complexed with d-fucose11Edited by D. Rees. Journal of molecular biology. 1997 Oct 17;273(1):226-37.
