Biology Department
Paul Meier
New Science Building 102
484-664-3250
meier@muhlenberg.edu
Education
Ph.D. Ohio University
M.S. Ohio University
B.A. SUNY at Oswego
Courses Taught
General Physiology (BIO 250)
Physiological and Behavioral Ecology (BIO 460)
Ethology (BIO 265)
Principles of Biology I (BIO 150)
Principles of Biology II (BIO 151)
Research Interests
My research interests are on the effects of behavior and physiology on shaping the social and genetic structure of vertebrate populations. Current projects include work on mate choice in the wood frog Rana sylvatica, and a study using radio telemetry on the social and reproductive behavior of woodchucks Marmota monax. Our previous work on woodfrogs demonstrated that populations of woodfrogs become genetically differentiated on a local scale by adapting to specific pond conditions (presence of competitors and predators, hydrology traits) where they reproduce. We are planning on further documenting the local genetic differentiation via microsatellite analyses, and examining the role of male vocalizations in mate selection and its influence on gene flow among neighboring ponds.
Publications
Genetic differentiation of a woodfrog (Rana sylvatica) population on a local scale. Copeia, submitted 2004
Meier, P. T. 1992. Social organization of woodchucks Marmota monax. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 31:393-400.
Meier, P. T. 1983. Relative brain size among the North American Sciuridae. J. Mammalogy, 64:641-647.
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