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Lynn Adler

Professor

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists are fundamentally interested in how interactions between species influence their distribution, abundance, and evolution. My research integrates ecology and evolution from the individual to community levels to elucidate how multi-species interactions structure community dynamics and shape selection on phenotypic traits, with a continuing theme of understanding the ecology and evolution of resistance and attraction traits. I address these questions in a range of settings, including wild habitats, agricultural fields, and the urban/suburban matrix.

Current Research

In recent years I have asked how floral defense traits, including nectar and pollen chemistry, affect pathogen loads in bumble bees. This novel approach is exciting for its potential to transform our understanding of the role of plant defense traits mediating bee pollinator resistance to parasites. Pollinators serve a critical role in our native ecosystems as well as our agricultural crops. By applying existing theory in new contexts, this approach opens up novel avenues of ecological research while addressing contemporary societal issues. We found that nectar secondary compounds and sunflower pollen can at times dramatically reduce infection by a common bumble bee pathogen, opening up potential for developing medicinal products or recommending plant species that maximize bee health. 

Academic Background

BS Brown University, 1993
PhD University of California at Davis, 2000

Rothchild K, Adler LS, Irwin RE, Sadd BM, Stevenson PC and Palmer-Young EC. 2018. Effects of short-term exposure to naturally occurring thymol concentrations on transmission of a bumble bee parasite. Ecological Entomology.
McArt SH, Urbanowicz CM, McCoshum S, Irwin RE and LS Adler. 2017. Landscape predictors of pathogen prevalence and range contractions in United States bumblebees. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 284: 20172181.
Palmer-Young EC, Hogeboom A, Kaye AJ, Donnelly D, Andicoechea J, Connon SJ, Skyrm K, Adler LS and RE Irwin. 2017. Context-dependent medicinal effects of anabasine and infection-dependent toxicity in bumble bees. PLoS One. 12(8): e0183729
Palmer-Young EC, Tozkar CO, Schwarz RS, Chen Y, Irwin RE, Adler LS and JD Evans. 2017. Nectar and pollen phytochemicals stimulate honey bee immunity to viral infection. Journal of Economic Entomology, 1-14. doi: 10.1093/jee/tox193
Palmer-Young EC, Tozkar CO, Schwarz RS, Chen Y, Irwin RE, Adler LS and JD Evans (in press). Nectar and pollen phytochemicals stimulate honey bee immunity to viral infection. Journal of Economic Entomology.
Palmer-Young EC, Sadd BM, Irwin RE, and LS Adler. 2017. Synergistic effects of floral phytochemicals against a bumble bee parasite. Ecology and Evolution. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2794 (14 pages).
Palmer-Young EC, Sadd BM, and LS Adler. 2016. Evolution of resistance to single and combined floral phytochemicals by a bumble bee parasite. Journal of Evolutionary Biology. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13002
Palmer-Young EC, Sadd BM, Stevenson PC, Irwin RE, and LS Adler. 2016. Bumble bee parasite strains vary in resistance to phytochemicals. Scientific Reports 6: 37087. doi: 10.1038/srep37087
Richardson L, Adler LS, Leonard AS, Andicoechea J, Regan K, Anthony WE, Manson JS, and RE Irwin. 2015. Secondary metabolites in floral nectar reduce parasite infections in bumble bees. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 282: 20142471.
 
Contact Info

Department of Biology
102D Fernald Hall
270 Stockbridge Road
Amherst, MA 01003-9292

(413) 545-1060
lsadler@bio.umass.edu

people.umass.edu/lsadler