Stephanie Welter

I am interested in predator-prey relationships, especially the morphological and behavioral expression of suites of defense mechanisms employed by prey to deter predation.  Prey often possess both fixed and plastic antipredator traits in various combinations to prevent being consumed.  The particular combination of traits depends on numerous factors, including the underlying genetic architecture, the developmental environment, and the specific environment in which the prey encounters the predator and/or predator cues.  I typically use amphibians, reptiles, and aquatic insects to study these phenomena, and am currently working with dragonfly larvae to quantify variation in their antipredator morphologies and behaviors.

Both graduate and undergraduate students have conducted research in my lab, with topics including: habitat complexity and substrate preferences in two species of dragonfly larvae, background preferences and movement patterns in dragonfly larvae, variation in microhabitat preferences in crab spiders, dietary variation in gut contents in northern ringneck snakes, the effect of forest management practices on small mammal populations, and migrating and breeding bird presence at local and regional state parks.