Matt Robak, a recent RZ lab alum, published a paper in the March 2018 issue of the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. The research described in this publication documents how temperature and the skin microbial community affect the susceptibility of northern cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection.
caitlin.nordheim
Defying disease: Panama’s frogs are fighting back Many infectious diseases can fade away after initial outbreaks. Bubonic plague, cholera, and influenza are examples from recent human history. The same phenomenon occurs for wildlife diseases as well. How does this happen? One popular explanation is that the pathogen evolves to become less deadly, so […]
A new paper written by Yusan Yang, a PhD student in our lab, was published in the March 2018 issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. In this paper, Yusan describes some of her recent research testing if male Strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio) differ in the territorial aggression […]
The R-Z Lab is excited to host a new lab member: Ashley Cecil is a Pittsburgh-based artist and illustrator specializing in paintings of flora and fauna that illustrate the interconnectedness between the natural world and its inhabitants. Ashley will join our lab in January of 2018 for a 6-month residency as part […]
Julia Sonn, a recent PhD graduate from our lab, recently published a paper in the December 2017 issue of the journal EcoHealth. In this publication, Julia describes an experiment testing the effect of temperature on Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) infection of Northern cricket frogs (Acris crepitans).
Dr. Tali Hammond has joined the Richards-Zawacki lab as a NSF postdoctoral research associate. Tali comes to us from the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkley, where she received her PhD in 2017. While finishing her PhD, Tali wrote and was awarded a prestigious NSF Post-doctoral Research Fellowship to […]
The Richards-Zawacki lab welcomes its newest (and youngest) member: Libby Rose Zawacki! Libby was born in January and since then has been getting to know her family and her herps.
Sebastian Echeverri has joined the Richards-Zawacki lab as a PhD student. Sebastian received a BS in biology and applied physics from the University of Miami in 2013 and was a graduate student at Pitt studying spider vision and behavior with Nate Morehouse. When Dr. Morehouse left Pitt this semester, Sebastian decided […]
A new paper written by our very own Yusan Yang, a PhD student in the lab, was published in December’s issue of Evolution. In this paper, Yusan describes some of her recent research testing if female preferences diverged along with coloration in the Strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio), and whether […]
A new paper written by our former Postdoc, Matt Dugas, was published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology in October. In this paper, Matt describes research examining on the costs and benefits of maternal care in Strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio).