Welcome to the WilsonLab at Auburn!

Our approach to research is multidimensional.  First, we use large-scale observational studies and meta-analysis of existing data from the literature to discover patterns in nature.  Then, we identify mechanisms mediating these patterns through laboratory and field-based experimentation.

As a community ecologist, I am generally interested in consumer-prey interactions and identifying the ecological and evolutionary consequences of intraspecific genetic and phenotypic variation on aquatic communities and ecosystems.  My current research focuses on the ecology of cyanobacterial blooms with an emphasis on understanding how biotic and abiotic factors influence cyanobacterial bloom formation.  In tandem with our harmful algal bloom research, the lab is also beginning to study the factors leading to taste, odor, and toxicity issues in drinking water reservoirs.  

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News

Want to join the lab?

• I am always looking for hard-working, honest, and self-motivated graduate and undergraduate students to join our group.  I encourage individual thinking, so it is not critical that we share identical research interests.  But, it is important that you are fascinated by science and want to explore how the natural world works.  Please email me your resume, transcripts, GRE scores (if applicable), research interests, and contact information for three references and we will try to find a spot for you in the lab.

September 2016

• We are looking for folks to join us in Hawaii this February for ASLO 2017 and participate in our HABs session, SS021 - Crossing disciplinary boundaries across the freshwater-marine continuum to advance the understanding of harmful algal blooms (HABs).  Submit your abstract by 1 October 2016.  Hope to see you there. 

• Our NSF INCLUDES proposal to develop and enhance educational and research opportunities for students with disabilities at 21 colleges throughout the southeastern US and Washington, DC has been funded.  Our project is one of 37 new INCLUDES projects and the only project focused on students with disabilities.  Overtoun Jenda was our fearless leader.  Excellent job making this happen!

• Brie's second thesis chapter, which builds on her first by adding the effect of vertical mixing on off-flavors in a drinking water reservoir, has been accepted for publication.  Incredible job!  Olsen, B. K., M. F. Chislock, A. Rebelein, and A. E. Wilson. In press. Nutrient enrichment and vertical mixing mediate 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin concentrations in a drinking water reservoir. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply (PDF)

August 2016

• The WilsonLab is excited to welcome two new members - Chase Woods (Junior pre-vet major; left) and Edna Fernandez (M.S. student; middle next to long-term lab member, Jenny Isham (right)).

• Although brief, I was able to attend ESA and participate in an NSF outreach event to educate early career scientists about opportunities at NSF.  The event was super informative.  In addition, I led an NSF@ESA dinner which I hope will become an annual event.  It was truly awesome seeing my NSF friends. 

• Soon after returning to Auburn, I was able to lead a plankton-based outreach event for 5 & 6 year-olds from Lee Scott's summer camp program.  The kids were masters of the compound scopes and loved watching the phytoplankton swim around.  Definitely future limnologists!

July 2016

• My two-year detail at NSF is finally over.  It was an incredible learning experience, and I made tons of new friends.  Now it is time to get back to writing more proposals.  On the way home, my family was able to visit a ton of beautiful places, including Yellowstone.  Plan your visit today.  You won't be disappointed. 

• Despite the long wait, part of Zulema's 10-year portfolio analyses of the Population and Community Ecology program have been published.  They highlight the fact that aquatic ecologists needs to submit more proposals.  Time to get back to work!  Wilson, A. E. and Z. A. Osorio. 2016. DEB Nummbers: Are aquatic ecologists underrepresented? DEBrief (NSF's Division of Environmental Biology blog) 11 July 2016. (Website)

June 2016

• I am finally preparing for my return to Auburn after working at NSF for two years.  Along the way, I will be visiting 12 minority serving institutions to discuss opportunities at NSF.  Should be an incredible journey!

May 2016

• I was able to join several of my NSF colleagues at a super successful NSF Day outreach event at North Dakota State University.  Good times!

• We just learned that Dr. Arevik Minasyan (UNESCO in Armenia) was awarded a highly competitive Fulbright Fellowship that will allow her to join the lab for a whole year starting this December! 

• Dave Hambright invited me to participate in an exciting Earth Month/Environmental Studies Distinguished Speaker Series at the University of Oklahoma.  I had a great time and even had an opportunity to give a television interview about the threat of eutrophication on our water resources. 

April 2016

• My NSF buddy, Doug Levey, was able to join me for an exciting prison outreach event in Clio, AL.  Doug's lecture on chilis was awesome and followed by one of the more stressful drives I have had through the great state of Alabama.  Special thanks to Sargent and Pastor Jimmy Helms for helping get us and my car back to Auburn.

• Roger has done it again.  Congrats on another meta-analysis publication.  You are incredible!  Kollock, R., K. Games, A. E. Wilson, and J. Sefton. In press. The effects of vehicle-ride exposure on fatigue at the spinal musculature and its implications for military warfighters: a meta-analysis. Journal of Athletic Training. 

March 2016

• Lesley D'Anglada from USEPA in DC invited me to give a talk about tools and techniques for monitoring harmful algal blooms at the EPA Region 10 Harmful Algal Bloom workshop in Seattle, WA.  It was a great meeting and got me thinking about the need to connect HABs researchers who study these events in marine and freshwater systems. 

• During my kid's spring break, I was able to give an invited talk about harmful algal blooms in Alabama at the Alabama Rural Water Association's technical training conference in Mobile, AL.  This was an incredible opportunity for me to meet drinking water operators and state water resource managers.  

• Tony Golubski invited me to give a seminar at Kennesaw State.  While there, I also led an NSF outreach event for faculty and administrators.  I haven't been back to KSU for almost 20 years and barely recognized campus.  It has grown so much.

• Michael's LakeLine article has finally hit the presses.  Chislock, M. F. 2015. Ecology and management of off-flavors and cyanotoxins. LakeLine. Winter 2015:43-46 (PDF)

February 2016

• Michael successfully defended his dissertation.  Dr. Chislock will be heading to Purdue University to start a two-year postdoc soon after he is done teaching limnology this semester.  Congrats, Mike!  We will miss you. 

January 2016

• Brie's first chapter from her M.S. has been accepted in Water Research.  This study is the first to experimentally demonstrate the connection between fertilization and MIB production in a drinking water reservoir.  Her data are very cool and somewhat surprising.  Awesome work, Brie!  Olsen, B. K., M. F. Chislock, and A. E. Wilson. 2016. Eutrophication mediates a common off-flavor compound, 2-methylisoborneol, in a drinking water reservoir. Water Research 92:228-234. (PDF)

• We survived Snowzilla!  I have never seen so much snow fall in such a short amount of time.

• Through my second job at NSF, I was able to spend a day at Young Harris College to tell everyone about opportunities at NSF.  It was especially awesome to me, since I received my A.S. degree there in 1995 (yes, 21 years ago...I am getting old) and was able to see two of my past professors - Margaret Forrrester and Paul Arnold.  I have great memories of them both! 

December 2015

• Ali's invited review in Harmful Algae about cyanobacteria and zooplankton has finally found its way to publication.  Who would have ever thought that writing a paper with seven opinionated researchers would be so challenging...  You did great, Ali!  Ger, K. A., P. Urrutia-Cordero, P. C. Frost, L.-A. Hansson, O. Sarnelle, A. E. Wilson, and M. Lurling. 2016. The interaction between cyanobacteria and zooplankton in a more eutrophic world. Harmful Algae 54:128-144. (PDF)

• Michael's first sole author publication just came out in LakeLine.  Good stuff!  Chislock, M. F. In press. Ecology and management of off-flavors and cyanotoxins. LakeLine. (PDF)

November 2015

• After the HABs meeting, I drove north through beautiful central California to lead NSF outreach events at Cal Poly and CSU-Monterey Bay.  Both days were educational for me and the faculty I met.  Working at NSF is fantastic.

• I was able to attend the 8th U.S. Symposium on Harmful Algae in Long Beach where I presented Jo-Marie's paper about our method to measure phycocyanin to estimate cyanobacteria biovolume. It was a great meeting, and I got to see many old friends.  I was also about to participate in the Young Investigators Program outreach event to educate students about opportunities at NSF.  It was an awesome meeting. 

October 2015

• This has been a busy month.  I was invited to give a talk about harmful algal blooms, algal toxins, and off-flavors to the almost 400 attendees at the annual Alabama Surface Water meeting in Montgomery.  This was a great experience.

• Alexander Wacker (Univ of Potsdam, Germany) was in the neighborhood, so my lab was able to learn more about his exciting research on co-limitation. 

• Kai's has produced another exciting paper from his dissertation that shows how Daphnia can induce tolerance in their offspring to toxic cyanobacteria when fed toxic and non-toxic cyanobacteria.  These data further highlight interesting complexities associated with cyanobacteria-zooplankton interactions.  Excellent work, Kai!  Lyu, K., H. Guan, C. Wu, X. Wang, A. E. Wilson, and Z. Yang. 2016. Maternal consumption of non-toxic Microcystis induces tolerance of Daphnia magna offspring to toxic Microcystis. Freshwater Biology 61:219-228 (PDF)

• The special session that Matt Waters (Valdosta State) and I proposed for the summer 2016 ASLO meeting in Santa Fe has been accepted.  We are looking for folks to join our session titled "Cyanobacterial patterns and processes across scales: implications for water resource management in a changing climate."  Please contact us if you want to join our session.

• Amy Munsterman's Meta-Analysis class project has just been accepted making it the 13th journal article produced from our class. Incredibly good news!  Munsterman, A. S., J. J. Kottwitz, and R. R. Hanson. In press. Meta-analysis of the effects of adhesion barriers on adhesion formation in the horse. Veterinary Surgery.  See full list of Meta-Analysis class publications here.

• The lab has literally founds it finger on an important NSF-wide document produced from the NSF Environmental Research and Education Advisory Committee.  Check out pages 9 and 37.

• The lab welcomes to new undergrad research volunteers, Courtney Andes (Marine Biology) and Eric Wittig (Fisheries).  Welcome!

September 2015

• Brie's time in the lab has come to an end.  She will soon be moving to Tampa, FL, to start her new job at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.  We will miss you, Brie.  Good luck to you. 

• Rebecca's new meta-analysis paper is an awesome synthesis about how carotenoids do (or don't) provide insights about bird performance.  It is also our 12th journal article produced from the Meta-Analysis class (FISH 7350).  Fantastic job, Rebecca!  Koch, R. E., A. E. Wilson, and G. E. Hill. 2016. The importance of carotenoid dose in supplementation studies with songbirds. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology: Ecological and Evolutionary Approaches 89(1):61-71. (PDF)

August 2015

• Roger has just published another meta-analysis on his military-based kinesiology research.  He is a publishing machine!  Great job, Roger.  Kollock, R., C. Andrews, A. Johnston, T. Elliott, A. E. Wilson, K. Games, and J. Sefton. 2016. A meta-analysis to determine if lower extremity muscle strengthening should be included in military knee overuse injury prevention programs. Journal of Athletic Training 51(4):xx-xx. (PDF)

• I was able to attend ESA with my NSF colleagues where I saw many old friends and learned about exciting ecological research.  As part of the conference, Henry Gholz (NSF), Dan Stover (DoE), and I led a fantastic interagency outreach session involving 30+ agency reps from 12 federal agencies.

July 2015

• I had an excellent visit to the Blandy Experimental Farm (University of Virginia & State Arboretum) to meet with faculty and REU students and to present some of our lab's research.  Thanks for the opportunity, Patrick Crumrine.

June 2015

• The lab has a new virtual member, Zulema Osorio, from Solano Community College (CA).  Zulema will help me conduct a thorough portfolio analysis of the NSF Population and Community Ecology funding trends for the past 10 years.  Welcome, Zulema.

May 2015

• A short article about my undergraduate mentor award was published in the 2015 edition of the Auburn University Journal of Undergraduate Scholarship (AUJUS). 

• Brie has successfully defended her thesis!  Congrats, Brie.  Now, let's get those chapters published.

• Ash's efforts to raise general awareness about predatory journals has led to a new chapter in Auburn University's Auburn Speaks.  Bullard, A., D. DeVries, A. Wilson, H. Kinnucan, P. Clement, G. Lockaby, and C. Newland. 2015. Science or snake oil: Scholarship and peer review in the digital age. Book chapter in Auburn Speaks: On Cyber and the Digital Domain. Published by Auburn University. pp. 201-211. (PDF)

April 2015

• My incredible meta-analysis students continue to amaze me.  What started out as a standard class paper discussion has led to a new article in Molecular Ecology aimed at educating its authors what meta-analysis is and isn't.  Althea and Eric carried most of the burden of this project.  Seriously excellent job!  ArchMiller, A. A., E. F. Bauer, R. E. Koch, B. K. Wijayawardena, A. Anil, J. J. Kottwitz, A. S. Munsterman, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Formalizing the definition of meta-analysis in Molecular Ecology. Molecular Ecology 24:4042-4051. (PDF) (Web link)

March 2015

• I had a great visit to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to see an old labmate, John Parker, meet many of his colleagues, and share some of our lab's research.  SERC is a spectacular place.  I am sure I will be back.

February 2015

• Brie was awarded the best student presentation at the Alabama Fisheries Association annual meeting in Prattville, AL.  Congratulations, Brie.

• After three long years, Jeff's meta-analysis class project has found a home in Functional Ecology.  Slow but steady wins the race!  Good work, Jeff.  Goessling, J. M., H. Kennedy, M. T. Mendonça, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. A meta-analysis of plasma corticosterone and heterophil:lymphocyte ratios - Is there conservation of physiological stress responses over time? Functional Ecology 29:1189-1196. (PDF)

January 2015

• With an incredibly heavy heart, I report that our lab's good luck charm, Big Beau Wilson, has moved on to greener pastures.  He was a fantastic buddy.  I miss him deeply.  I know I am not alone given that Beau had lots of friends. 

   

• Roger's meta-analysis synthesizing data regarding the impact of military vehicle ride exposure on cervical pathology has been accepted.  Good job, Mr. Assistant Professor!  Kollock, R., K. Games, A. E. Wilson, and J. Sefton. 2015. Effect of vehicle-ride exposure on cervical pathology - a meta-analysis. Industrial Health 53:197-205. (PDF)

December 2014

• Kai's paper describing a potential mechanism responsible for tolerance in Daphnia to toxic cyanobacteria has been accepted.  Good work, Kai!  Lyu, K., L. Zhang, X. Zhu, G. Cui, A. E. Wilson, and Z. Yang. 2015. Arginine kinase in the cladoceran Daphnia magna: cDNA sequencing and expression is associated with resistance to toxic Microcystis. Aquatic Toxicology 160:13-21. (PDF)

• Work at NSF has kept me busy for the past few months but I have had some time to engage folks at Auburn University, including our Provost, Dr. Tim Boosinger, when I was honored at the annual Awards Gala as the recipient of the 2014-2015 Provost's Award for Faculty Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship.

   

October 2014

• October is starting off well.  Jo-Marie's paper about using the pigment, phycocyanin, as a quick way to estimate cyanobacterial biovolume has been accepted.  Excellent!  Kasinak, J.-M. E., B. M. Holt, M. F. Chislock, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Benchtop fluorometry of phycocyanin as a rapid approach for estimating cyanobacterial biovolume. Journal of Plankton Research 37(1):248-257. (PDF)

September 2014

• BJ's meta-analysis class project has set a new speed record from class presentation to publication.  A new bar has been set for the rest of us.  Good job, BJ.  Newcomer, B. J., P. H. Walz, M. D. Givens, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Efficacy of bovine viral diarrhea virus vaccination to prevent reproductive disease: a meta-analysis. Theriogenology 83(2015):360-365. (PDF)

• Anja has set sail for Germany.  Twelve weeks never seemed so short.  She was a great addition to the WilsonLab.  I am sure our paths will cross again in the future. 

August 2014

• Several NSF Program Directors and I are attending the ESA meeting in Sacramento.  Check out the DEB blog to find out who will be there.  I am excited to hear about exciting new ecological research.

July 2014

• I recently started my new job as a Program Director in the Population and Community Ecology program at the National Science Foundation.  It is going great.  Lots of training.  I like visitors (see below).  Feel free to visit - Stafford I room 610 - if you are in the area.

  

June 2014

• Our new recruit from Germany, Anja Rebelein, has finally made it to campus.  We look forward to working with her this summer through her DAAD RISE fellowship opportunity. 

• Brie was recently notified that she was awarded a $250 research grant from the Graduate School to support her research.  Our wonderful school director, Dr. John Jensen, offered to match this award.  Congrats, Brie, and thanks, John!

• Michael and I participated in a fantastic outreach event at Troy State-Dothan (where I got shirt in photo below) where we got to excite elementary school teachers about aquatic ecology.  We found lots of beautiful bullfrog tadpoles with the gear we made.

   

   

• Thad Scott just left the building.  We had a great visit with him associated with his prestigious Southeastern Conference Visiting Faculty Travel Grant.

• I was able to participate in a conference call about harmful algal blooms and hosted by Cat Lazaroff in conjunction with Resource Media and the National Wildlife Federation.  

• Jo-Marie's first chapter of her thesis describing that lack of consumption of Lyngbya by grass carp has been accepted for publication.  Awesome news. Kasinak, J.-M. E., C. J. Bishop, R. A. Wright, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Grass carp do not consume the nuisance benthic cyanobacterium, Lyngbya wollei. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 53:74-80. (PDF)

• Michael, Brie, and I got to attend the JASM meeting in Portland.  Brie gave an exciting talk and I got to see some old friends, including Gretchen Gerrish.

   

   

April 2014

• I was notified by our Provost, Dr. Tim Boosinger, that I have been awarded the 2014-2015 Provost's Award for Faculty Excellence in Fostering Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship, which recognizes my undergraduate training efforts.  This award would not be possible without the hard work of my many awesome undergrads.  Thank you!

March 2014

• The last few weeks have been an exciting time for the WilsonLab.  I just learned that I will be heading to work as a rotator Program Director in the Population and Community Ecology program at the National Science Foundation this summer.  I can't wait to get to Arlington!

• Our buddy, Thad Scott, was awarded the Southeastern Conference Visiting Faculty Travel Grant to support his stay in the beautiful city of Auburn, Alabama, where he will work with us to refine his skills for measuring cyanobacterial toxins.  We are looking forward to seeing you, Thad.

• Brie was recently notified that she will get $300 from the Auburn University Graduate School to present some of her thesis research at ASLO meeting in Portland, Oregon.  Good work, Brie.

• Our prison seminar series is in full force.  This year, Kyes Stevens, Doug Goodwin, Curtis Shannon, and I have developed new courses and extended our prison science seminar series, called Sparks.  I just gave a series of lectures about eutrophication at Easterling Correctional Facility.  My students were incredible, as usual.

• Anja Rebelein, an undergrad from Germany, will be joining us this summer to conduct field research through the DAAD RISE program.  We are psysched about seeing Anja this summer.

• We had our final water quality workshop associated with our USGS project.  As in the past years, our students were excellent.

• I am finally getting a little break.  I am heading to the mountains in Asheville, NC, to participate in the Southeastern Lake Management Conference.  The trip cound not be more perfectly timed.

• Our friend, Nate Dorn, from Florida Atlantic University visited us and gave a cool seminar about his research in the Everglades.

• After years of prodding, Michael has finally put together his own website...because of a class requirement.  Check it out.

January 2014

• Our past undergradaute researcher, Enrique Doster, learned that he has been accepted into the Ph.D./DVM program at Colorado State University (the third best vet school in the U.S.).  We expect big things from you, Enrique.

• I got to visit my Purdue colleagues again to discuss our Lake Michigan project about drowned rivermouths.  My flight arrived just in time for me to get on the shuttle to West Lafayette before the snow storm hit.  I don't miss the snow.

October 2013

• Michael and Katie's (2011 REU student) paper showing how the diazotroph, Cylindrospermopsis, dominates in super low (expected) and high (unexpected) N:P conditions was just accepted at Water Research.  Good job, y'all.  Another successful REU project!  Chislock, M. F., K. L. Sharp, and A. E. Wilson. 2014. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii dominates under very low and high nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios. Water Research 49:207-214. (PDF)

• I finally got to get away for a short fishing trip with the boys.  Russ, Tyler, and I slayed the redfish and trout in Venice, LA.  I am ready to go back to fishing paradise.

• I just returned from a trip to Purdue University where I gave a lecture about eutrophication to 500+ honors students.  Sorry for the poor photo of everything except Tomas Hook's bald head.  Gotta get a new phone.

October 2013

• Jo-Marie successfully defended her thesis!  Her talk was amazing.  Congrats on completing your degree. 

September 2013

• Kent's newly accepted paper in the Journal of Athletic Training now makes FOUR pubs from my meta-analysis course.  I have the best, hardiest working students.  Congratulations, Kent!  Games, K., J. Sefton, and A. E. Wilson. In press. Effect of whole-body vibration on blood flow and muscle oxygenation: a meta-analysis. Journal of Athletic Training. (PDF)

• Our star undergrad, Enrique, just learned that his first-authored paper in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine was accepted for publication.  He will be giving a talk about these data at the upcoming American Association of Zoo Veterinarians meeting in Utah next month.  You rock, Enrique.  Doster, E., M. F. Chislock, J. F. Roberts, J. J. Kottwitz, and A. E. Wilson. 2014. Recognition of an important water quality issue at zoos: prevalence and potential threat of toxic cyanobacteria. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 45(1):165-168. (PDF)

• The students' story about their experiences at the recent ASLO meeting in New Orleans has been published in the recent addition of the ASLO Bulletin.  Nice, y'all.  Olsen, B. K., C. Smith, M. Chislock, J. Kasinak, and E. Doster. 2013. Letter to the Editor: Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2013 Annual Meeting: Students' perspectives. ASLO Bulletin 22(3):83-84. (PDF) (Web link)

• Newly available map helps pinpoint freshwater HABs throughout the US.  Also, see associated report. This story has been picked up by the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch newspaper and other venues.

• Jim Langcuster helped Rusty Wright and I develop a news release about harmful algal blooms through the Auburn University Wire Eagle.

August 2013

• Our REU site in warm-water aquatic ecology ends early August.  I am gonna miss this cohort...the best yet!  Good luck to you all.

July 2013

• Michael's paper describing huge effects of consumer offense on aquatic community structure and function just got accepted at Ecology.  Michael will be sharing these data at the Ecological Society of America meeting next month.  Brie, Enrique, and Ace were also part of this effort.  Excellent work, y'all! - Chislock, M. F., O. Sarnelle, B. K. Olsen, E. Doster, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Large effects of consumer offense on ecosystem structure and function. Ecology 94(11):2375-2380. (PDF) (Web link)

• More good news.  Jo-Marie was just awarded the 2013 MidSouth Aquatic Plant Management Society Student Scholarship ($2,000) for her research investigating grass carp control of the benthic cyanobacterium, Lyngbya. 

June 2013

• Our article in the Alabama Cattleman newsletter has hit the newsstands.  Learn more about how cyanobacteria can harm livestock here - Wilson, A. E., M. F. Chislock, E. Doster, R. A. Wright, J. J. Kottwitz, H. Walz, and H. Rose. 2013. Toxic algae threaten livestock health. The Alabama Cattleman June 2013:16-17. (PDF)

May 2013

• Our 2013 REU Site in warm-water aquatic ecology has finally started!  We have got an awesome bunch this summer.

April 2013

• I have just been notified that I will be promoted to Associate Professor with tenure effective Fall 2013.  Hooray!

• More good news for the lab - Jo-Marie's Sigma Xi Grants-In-Aid of Research application was funded for $600.  We really appreciate Sigma Xi's support.

• Michael's eutrophication article that was co-authored with two past REU students, Enrique Doster and Rachel Zitomer, was accepted for publication in Nature Education.  Congratulations, team!  Chislock, M. F., E. Doster, R. A. Zitomer, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Eutrophication: Causes, consequences, and controls in aquatic ecosystems. Nature Education Knowledge 4(4):10. (PDF) (Web link)

• Enrique and other undergrads from Auburn are sharing their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.  I hope everyone bundled up for the frigid weather.

• Jo-Marie Kasinak and Justin Havird (Scott Santos' lab) were awarded Outstanding Oral Presentations at this year's Graduate Student Symposium.  They both were invited to give talks at AU's Research Week and Justin scored 2nd place for his talk!  Y'all rock!

• Enrique Doster was awarded 3rd place for his STEM poster about his zoo research at AU's Research Week.  Enrique will be a great vet.

March 2013

• Our Chapel Hill water quality workshop was equally fun and effective.  Great group of folks showed up at UNC for the meeting.  I love these workshops.

• We just held our first of two water quality workshops associated with our USGS project on cyanobacterial blooms throughout the Southeast at the wonderful USGS facility in Orlando, FL.  Thanks, Barry Rosen, for letting us visit you again to teach our great students how to sample and identify algae. 

February 2013

• Kyes Stevens and Doug Goodwin joined me for my science lecture about eutrophication at an Alabama men's medium security prison.  My students were unbelievable.  Tons of energy and questions.  I can't wait to go back.

• My lab, Michael Chislock, Jo-Marie Kasinak, Brie Olsen, and Enrique Doster, and one limnology student, Chris Smith, attended the ASLO meeting in New Orleans.  A wonderful venue for a wonderful meeting.

• The Daily Tar Heel just wrote a little story about our new Water in Our World seminar course at UNC-Chapel Hill. 

• Kyes Stevens, Doug Goodwin, and I just learned that our 2013 Outreach Grant was funded.  With this support, we will further enhance our prison science seminar series with new courses at Alabama prisons over the next year.  Thank you, Nalini Nadkarni, for making me aware of prison outreach!

• Justin Havird's meta-analysis project was just accepted for publication.  Justin put together an incredible dataset synthesizing the literature related to the physiological responses of critters to salinity shifts.  Good work, Justin.  Havird, J. C., R. P. Henry, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Altered expression of Na+/K+-ATPase and other osmoregulatory genes in the gills of euryhaline animals in response to salinity change: a meta-analysis of 59 quantitative PCR studies over 10 years. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part D: 8(2):131-140. (PDF)

January 2013

• During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., my family found our long lost buddy from Auburn, John Roberts, at his new place of employment - The National Zoo.  We miss John.

• I just started my one-semester fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Global Research Institute.  We have a wonderful group of water experts with diverse and complementary expertise, including Chad Staddon, Ben Meier, Joe Brown, Clarissa Brocklehurst, and Urooj Amjad.

December 2012

• Michael Chislock just got his first first-authored publication accepted in Water Research.  I think this work is paradigm shifting.  Awesome job, Michael!  Chislock, M. F., O. Sarnelle, L. M. Jernigan, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Do high concentrations of microcystin prevent Daphnia control of phytoplankton? Water Research 47(6):1961-1970. (PDF)

• Enrique Doster, Brittany Holt, and I lead a great discussion about NSF REU programs at Tuskegee University this week. 

November 2012

• Michael and I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Can Tho, Viet Nam, to teach limnology.  Once again, our students were spectacular!

• Before traveling to Viet Nam, I hung out with my new friends, Zhou Yang and his students, at Nanjing Normal University in Nanjing, China.  The fried dumplings were too good to be true. 

October 2012

• During the Water and Health Conference at UNC-Chapel Hill, I snuck out to visit my friends at North Carolina A&T University (Millie Worku) and Livingstone College (Sashi Sabaratnam) to recruit students for our REU site in aquatic ecology.

• Michael and I are headed to the Ozarks to attend the 37th annual Great Plains Limnology Conference at the University of Arkansas.  We are excited to reconnect with our midwestern colleagues.

September 2012

• We are currently accepting applications for our third and final REU summer program in warm-water aquatic ecology.  The deadline is 15 January 2013 and applications can be completed here.  Please spread the word.

• We have been very fortunate to have two of our pals visit the lab and give cool departmental seminars about paleolimnology.  Gretchen Gerrish (chilling with Aubie before the LSU game) came all the way from the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse and Matt Waters (checking out a current field experiment) made the drive from Valdosta State University. 

• We got another new addition the lab - Matthew Schenone.  He is our first business major to join the lab.  Welcome to the group, Matt.

August 2012

• The WilsonLab is growing again!  Welcome Brie, a new Biological Sciences graduate student, and Ross, our new lab organizer.

• Our friend Nara Souza, from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, visited us last week to learn how to enumerate phytoplankton.  She was a terrific student!

• The news report mentioning the seminar that my colleagues from Georgia Power, Tom Broadwell and Tony Dodd, and I gave to the Jackson Lake Homeowners Association is available now.  Check it out at Covington News.

July 2012

• Our REU program is winding down.  The student head back home at the end of the month :(

• Our report to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to help them develop nutrient criteria for the Tallapoosa watershed has been submitted.  Fowler, S., W. Deutsch, A. E. Wilson, and E. Reutebuch. 2012. Tallapoosa River basin numerical nutrient criteria for wadeable streams. Final Report for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Agreement ADEM-C00594051. (PDF)

June 2012

• I gave a seminar about water quality to the Jackson Lake Homeowners Association with my Georgia Power colleagues, Tony Dodd and Tom Broadwell, at the beautiful historic FFA camp.  The house was packed!

• Rusty Wright and I lead an outreach activity for our Tuskegee Univ colleague, Dr. Olga Bolden-Tiller, who is training 44 high school students from across the country in agricultural-related fields.  We taught the students how to collect fish with seines, castnets, and electroshocking. 

• The REU students have been keeping me very busy with trips to seine fish in Panama City Beach, Florida, and to checkout gators in the swamps around New Orleans.  I need a vacation!

May 2012

• My three REU students, Brittany Holt, Rachel Zitomer, and Enrique Doster, helped me sample the Ogeechee River near the one year anniversary of the largest fish kill in Georgia's history.  Joining us were Laura Warren, from WRDW, and the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, Dianna Wedincamp.  The students and I made it on television - check it out!

• Michael Chislock won the best student talk at last week's Southeastern North American Lake Management Society meeting in Columbus, GA.  Good work, Michael. 

• Our 2012 REU site is finally underway.  Welcome to Auburn!

April 2012

• Alan has been offered a semester fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Global Research Institute to participate in research, teaching, and outreach activities centered on global water issues.  Get ready, Chapel Hill!   

• Daisuke's paper describing how hypoxia influences Lake Erie Daphnia mendotae has been accepted.  Good job, Daisuke!  Goto, D., K. Lindelof, D. L. Fanslow, S. A. Ludsin, J. J. Roberts, H. A. Vanderploeg, A. E. Wilson, and T. O. Höök. 2013. Ecological consequences of hypolimnetic hypoxia on survival and growth potential of Daphnia mendotae in the central basin of Lake Erie. Aquatic Biology. (PDF)

• Michael has garnered another award - a Harry Merriwether Fellowship.  This award was given to only four AU graduate students for their outstanding scholarship.  You continue to rock, Michael!

• Enrique has been offered a one-year AU Undergraduate Research Fellowship to continue conducting research in the WilsonLab.  He will be spending a significant amount of time at the MacArthur Agro-Ecology Research Center in Florida.  Good job, dude!  

• Betina's awesome meta-analysis paper generally describing biodiulution of microcystin in aquatic foodwebs has finally been accepted.  Good work, Betina!  Kozlowsky-Suzuki, B., A. E. Wilson, and A. Ferrao-Filho. 2012. Biomagnification or biodilution of microcystins in aquatic foodwebs? Meta-analyses of laboratory and field studies. Harmful Algae. (PDF)

March 2012

• Sadly, the court case associated with the Ogeechee River fish kill (the largest kill (38,000+ dead fish) in Georgia history) has been dismissed by the judge - read more here (GreenLaw) or here (SavannahNow)  Hutton Brown and Don Stack plan to appeal.  Go get 'em guys! 

• We held our second water quality workshop associated with our USGS cyanobacterial bloom network project in Auburn.  Our students were awesome!

• Del Anderson (2011 REU student), Katie LeMay (2011 REU student), Michael Chislock, Courtney Ellison (2011 REU student), Jo-Marie Kasinak, and Enrique Doster had a good time at SEEC 2012 in Clemson, SC.  Del, Michael, and Jo-Marie presented some of their research.  Good job, y'all!

February 2012

• Our Sparks in Science and Math prison seminar series has officially begun at Elmore Correctional Center thanks to support from the AU College of Agriculture, College of Science and Math, and Outreach office.  Kyes Stevens has been instrumental in this effort where seven AU faculty will give weekly lectures to our students at the prison.

• Rusty Wright, Barry Rosen, and I just held our first water quality workshop associated with our new USGS project.  We had a bunch of excellent students.  We will be organizing a similar meeting in Auburn in March 2012.

January 2012

• I just completed another successful trip to Purdue to hangout with Tomas Höök and his students to discuss our Lake Michigan river plume project. 

• 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.

• The lab finally got a new grad student.  Welcome to Auburn, Jo-Marie!

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Recent publications

• Olsen, B. K., M. F. Chislock, A. Rebelein, and A. E. Wilson. In press. Nutrient enrichment and vertical mixing mediate 2-methylisoborneol and geosmin concentrations in a drinking water reservoir. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply (PDF)

• Wilson, A. E. and Z. A. Osorio. 2016. DEB Nummbers: Are aquatic ecologists underrepresented? DEBrief (NSF's Division of Environmental Biology blog) 11 July 2016. (Website)

• Kollock, R., K. Games, A. E. Wilson, and J. Sefton. In press. The effects of vehicle-ride exposure on fatigue at the spinal musculature and its implications for military warfighters: a meta-analysis. Journal of Athletic Training. 

• Olsen, B. K., M. F. Chislock, and A. E. Wilson. 2016. Eutrophication mediates a common off-flavor compound, 2-methylisoborneol, in a drinking water reservoir. Water Research 92:228-234. (PDF)

• Ger, K. A., P. Urrutia-Cordero, P. C. Frost, L.-A. Hansson, O. Sarnelle, A. E. Wilson, and M. Lurling. 2016. The interaction between cyanobacteria and zooplankton in a more eutrophic world. Harmful Algae 54:128-144. (PDF)

• Lyu, K., H. Guan, C. Wu, X. Wang, A. E. Wilson, and Z. Yang. 2016. Maternal consumption of non-toxic Microcystis induces tolerance of Daphnia magna offspring to toxic Microcystis. Freshwater Biology 61:219-228 (PDF)

• Koch, R. E., A. E. Wilson, and G. E. Hill. 2016. The importance of carotenoid dose in supplementation studies with songbirds. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 89(1):61-71. (PDF)

• Kollock, R., C. Andrews, A. Johnston, T. Elliott, A. E. Wilson, K. Games, and J. Sefton. 2016. A meta-analysis to determine if lower extremity muscle strengthening should be included in military knee overuse injury prevention programs. Journal of Athletic Training 51(4):xx-xx. (PDF)

• Chislock, M. F. 2015. Ecology and management of off-flavors and cyanotoxins. LakeLine. Winter 2015:43-46 (PDF)

• Bullard, A., D. DeVries, A. Wilson, H. Kinnucan, P. Clement, G. Lockaby, and C. Newland. 2015. Science or snake oil: Scholarship and peer review in the digital age. Book chapter in Auburn Speaks: On Cyber and the Digital Domain. Published by Auburn University. pp. 201-211. (PDF)

• ArchMiller, A. A., E. F. Bauer, R. E. Koch, B. K. Wijayawardena, A. Anil, J. J. Kottwitz, A. S. Munsterman, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Formalizing the definition of meta-analysis in Molecular Ecology. Molecular Ecology 24:4042-4051. (PDF) (Web link)

• Goessling, J. M., H. Kennedy, M. T. Mendonça, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. A meta-analysis of plasma corticosterone and heterophil:lymphocyte ratios - Is there conservation of physiological stress responses over time? Functional Ecology 29:1189-1196. (PDF)

• Kollock, R., K. Games, A. E. Wilson, and J. Sefton. 2015. Effect of vehicle-ride exposure on cervical pathology - a meta-analysis. Industrial Health 53:197-205. (PDF)

• Games, K., J. Sefton, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Effect of whole-body vibration on blood flow and muscle oxygenation: a meta-analysis. Journal of Athletic Training 50(5):542-549. (PDF)

• Kasinak, J.-M. E., C. J. Bishop, R. A. Wright, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Grass carp do not consume the nuisance benthic cyanobacterium, Lyngbya wollei. Journal of Aquatic Plant Management 53:74-80. (PDF)

• Lyu, K., L. Zhang, X. Zhu, G. Cui, A. E. Wilson, and Z. Yang. 2015. Arginine kinase in the cladoceran Daphnia magna: cDNA sequencing and expression is associated with resistance to toxic Microcystis. Aquatic Toxicology 160:13-21. (PDF)

• Kasinak, J.-M. E., B. M. Holt, M. F. Chislock, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Benchtop fluorometry of phycocyanin as a rapid approach for estimating cyanobacterial biovolume. Journal of Plankton Research 37(1):248-257. (PDF)

• Newcomer, B. J., P. H. Walz, M. D. Givens, and A. E. Wilson. 2015. Efficacy of bovine viral diarrhea virus vaccination to prevent reproductive disease: a meta-analysis. Theriogenology 83:360-365. (PDF)

• Chislock, M. F., K. L. Sharp, and A. E. Wilson. 2014. Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii dominates under very low and high nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios. Water Research 49:207-214. (PDF)

• Doster, E., M. F. Chislock, J. F. Roberts, J. J. Kottwitz, and A. E. Wilson. 2014. Recognition of an important water quality issue at zoos: prevalence and potential threat of toxic cyanobacteria. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 45(1):165-168. (PDF)

• Chislock, M. F., O. Sarnelle, B. K. Olsen, E. Doster, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Large effects of consumer offense on ecosystem structure and function. Ecology 94(11):2375-2380. (PDF) (Web link)

• Olsen, B. K., C. Smith, M. Chislock, J. Kasinak, and E. Doster. 2013. Letter to the Editor: Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2013 Annual Meeting: Students' perspectives. ASLO Bulletin 22(3):83-84. (PDF) (Web link)

• Wilson, A. E., M. F. Chislock, E. Doster, R. A. Wright, J. J. Kottwitz, H. Walz, and H. Rose. 2013. Toxic algae threaten livestock health. The Alabama Cattleman June 2013:16-17. (PDF)

• Chislock, M. F., E. Doster, R. A. Zitomer, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Eutrophication: Causes, consequences, and controls in aquatic ecosystems. Nature Education Knowledge 4(4):10. (PDF) (Web link)

• Havird, J. C., R. P. Henry, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Altered expression of Na+/K+-ATPase and other osmoregulatory genes in the gills of euryhaline animals in response to salinity transfer: a meta-analysis of 59 quantitative PCR studies over 10 years. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part D: 8(2):131-140. (PDF)

• Chislock, M. F., O. Sarnelle, L. M. Jernigan, and A. E. Wilson. 2013. Do high concentrations of microcystin prevent Daphnia control of phytoplankton? Water Research 47(6):1961-1970. (PDF)

• Wilson, A. E. and M. F. Chislock. 2013. Ecological control of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater ecosystems.  Invited book chapter in Cyanobacteria: Toxicity, ecology, and management. Editor: A. Ferrão-Filho.  Nova Science Publishers, Inc., New York. pp. 213-221. (PDF) (Web link)

• Vanderploeg, H. A., A. E. Wilson, T. H. Johengen, J. Dyble, O. Sarnelle, J. R. Leibig, S. D. Robinson, and G. P. Horst. 2013. The role of selective grazing by dreissenid mussels in promoting toxic Microcystis blooms and other changes in phytoplankton composition in the Great Lakes.  Invited book chapter in Quagga and Zebra Mussels: Biology, Impacts, and Control, Second Edition.  Editors: T. Nalepa and D. Schloesser.  CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. pp. 509-524. (PDF)

• Fowler, S., W. Deutsch, A. E. Wilson, and E. Reutebuch. 2012. Tallapoosa River basin numerical nutrient criteria for wadeable streams. Final Report for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, Agreement ADEM-C00594051. (PDF)

• Goto, D., K. Lindelof, D. L. Fanslow, S. A. Ludsin, J. J. Roberts, H. A. Vanderploeg, A. E. Wilson, and T. O. Höök. 2012. Ecological consequences of hypolimnetic hypoxia on survival and growth potential of Daphnia mendotae in the central basin of Lake Erie. Aquatic Biology 16:217-227. (PDF)

• Kozlowsky-Suzuki, B., A. E. Wilson, and A. Ferrao-Filho. 2012. Biomagnification or biodilution of microcystins in aquatic foodwebs? Meta-analyses of laboratory and field studies. Harmful Algae 18:47-55. (PDF)

• Logan, S. W., L. E. Robinson, A. E. Wilson, and W. A. Lucas. 2012.  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 38(3):305-315. (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)

• 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)

• 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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Links

• Algal and cyanobacterial bloom forecasting models

• CyanoPros

• Ecology group at Auburn University

• Ecological Society of America

• Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography

• archive.org (great site for free, downloadable concerts)

• eigenfactor.org (terrific tool for comparing journal quality and value)