Fred Janzen

Fredric J. Janzen, Ph.D.
Professor
Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Office: 515.294.4230
Email: fjanzen@iastate.edu
Homepage: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~fjanzen

Education

Ph.D., Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago
M.S., Zoology, Colorado State University
B.A., Biology, North Central College

Research Interests

A synthetic approach to studying ecology and evolution includes mechanistic work at the molecular and organismal levels, field studies that document the importance of phenotypic variation, and a comparative view of the long-term consequences of this variation. I have adopted this approach by integrating molecular, genetic, and computational techniques with experimental laboratory and field studies. I focus on the impact of environmental and genetic factors in mediating the expression of physiological, behavioral, and life-history traits. Using these conceptual approaches in concert with comparative techniques has enabled me to assess important biological issues, including my main foci on (1) the biological significance of diverse sex-determining mechanisms and (2) the current and historical genetic structure of populations and species, with an emphasis on elucidating adaptive processes and solving conservation concerns.

Selected Publications (*=Janzen Lab Student/Postdoc)

Paitz, R. T. *, H. K. Harms*, R. M. Bowden*, and F. J. Janzen. 2007. Experience pays: offspring survival increases with female age. Biology Letters 3: 44-46.

Janzen, F. J., and P. C. Phillips. 2006. Exploring the evolution of environmental sex determination, especially in reptiles. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 19:1775-1784.

Krenz, J. G.*, G. J. P. Naylor, H. B. Shaffer, and F. J. Janzen. 2005. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution of turtles. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37:178-191.

St. Juliana, J. R.*, R. M. Bowden*, and F. J. Janzen. 2004. The impact of behavioral and physiological maternal effects on offspring sex ratio in the common snapping turtle, Chelydra serpentina. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 56:270-278.

Valenzuela, N., D. C. Adams, and F. J. Janzen. 2003. Pattern does not equal process: exactly when is sex environmentally determined? American Naturalist 161:676-683.