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Muhlenberg College |
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Allentown, PA 18104 |
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Personal Background
Research Interests and Publications
Extra-curricular Activities
Complete C.V.
"Just remember,
no matter where
you go, there you are."
from The Adventures of
Buckaroo Bonzai
I teach Ecology, Evolution, Aquatic Ecology, Invertebrate Zoology, Principles I (Introductory Biology sequence), and Animal Behavior for non-Biology majors.
My research investigates the evolutionary behavioral ecology of invertebrates, with a particular focus on marine invertebrates. I am especially interested in questions of feeding and defense in these organisms. If you are a student interested in the behavior or ecology of aquatic invertebrates, stop by and let's discuss some of your ideas, interests and possible future programs you might want to investigate.
I am originally from Media, Pennsylvania, about half an hour outside of Philadelphia. I received my B.S. with honors in Biological Sciences from Stanford University. Afterwards, I worked as the Life Sciences Intern at The Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco. I moved to Ithaca, New York where I worked as a laboratory technician at Cornell University (click here to connect to Cornell's home page), working first on induced resistance in tomatoes and later on defense in marine invertebrates, especially echinoderm larvae. I entered graduate school at Cornell University and received my Ph.D. in January 2002. My thesis investigated the behavioral ecology of feeding in a marine snail. Most of my research was performed subtidally (underwater) at the Friday Harbor Laboratories in the San Juan Islands, near Seattle, Washington. For more information about my Ph.D. dissertation and current research, click here. For information about the Friday Harbor Laboratories, click here.
I taught for one year in the Biology Department at The College of Wooster. And now I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Muhlenberg College. For the past four years I have been leading ecotours in Baja California with Lindblad Expeditions, acting as an Undersea Specialist. For information about Lindblad Expeditions, click here.
I am interested in the evolutionary behavioral ecology of invertebrates, with a particular focus on marine invertebrates. I am especially interested in questions of feeding and defense in these organisms. I study present-day ecology to shed light on evolutionary questions. The overarching, ultimate question of my research is: Why are there so few suspension feeding marine snails? My study system is Trichotropis cancellata (Gastropoda), which is a suspension feeder and a facultative kleptoparasite. For a more in-depth discussion of my research, click here.
Publications
| Peer-reviewed publications |
| Iyengar, E.V. 2004. Host-specific performance and host use in the kleptoparasitic marine snail Trichotropis cancellata. Oecologia. 138: 628-639. |
| Iyengar, E.V. 2002. Sneaky snails and worms' woes: Growth consequences of kleptoparasitism by the marine snail Trichotropis cancellata (Mollusca, Gastropoda) on Serpula columbiana (Annelida, Polychaeta). Marine Ecology Progress Series. 244: 153-162. |
| Iyengar, E.V. and C.D. Harvell. 2002. Specificity of cues triggering inducible spines in the bryozoan Membranipora membranacea. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 225: 205-218. |
| Iyengar, E.V. and C.D. Harvell. 2001. Predator deterrence of early developmental stages of temperate lecithotrophic asteroids and holothuroids. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 264: 171-188. |
| Pollock, D.D., W.B. Watt, V.K. Rashbrook, and E.V. Iyengar. 1998. Molecular phylogeny for Colias butterflies and their relatives (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am.,Vol 91, pp. 524-531. |
| Published abstracts and other educational material |
| Iyengar, E.V. 2001. The evolutionary ecology of kleptoparasitism and suspension feeding in Trichotropis cancellata (Gastropoda). Bulletin of the Malacological Society of London. 37: 1, 14. |
| Iyengar, E.V. 2001. Voyage of voyages. Ship's log for the M.V. Sea Bird, March 24-April 7, 2001. Baja California, Mexico. (published by Lindblad Expeditions for their guests and for use as promotional material) |
| Iyengar, E.V. 2001. Video "The best of underwater Baja, 2001." Contributor of undersea video footage. Video distributed by Lindblad Expeditions. |
| Iyengar, E.V. 2000. To steal or not to steal? That is the question. Suspension feeding versus kleptoparasitism in a marine snail. American Zoologist, Vol. 40, p. 1073. (poster abstract) |
| Iyengar, E.V. 1999. Why work when you can steal? American Conchologist, Vol. 27, p. 14 |
| Iyengar, E.V. 1999. So many hosts, so little time. . . worm choice and comparative benefits for Trichotropis cancellata. American Zoologist, Vol. 39, p. 121A (talk abstract) |
| Iyengar, E.V. 1998. Incidence and importance of kleptoparasitism to the marine snail Trichotropis cancellata. American Zoologist, Vol. 38, p. 99A. (talk abstract) |
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To learn more about my non-academic interests, click here.
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