Biography

After a few early years on the west coast, my family settled in the Chicago area, where I spent the rest of my childhood. I came to enjoy the outdoors, due to many travels to national parks of the west with family, and this interest probably led to my choice of biology as a major at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. A summer limnology course at the Wilderness Field Station in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area convinced me to develop a career working in pristine wilderness.

I entered graduate school in zoology at the University of North Carolina, under the guidance of Alan Stiven. My interests in life history evolution and population ecology were encouraged, along with the approach of choosing simple ecological systems to address basic questions with an experimental approach. During this time, I learned about the treehole mosquito community, which struck me as the perfect community to approach basic questions in ecology. After completing the PhD in 1978, I spent a year teaching at the Ohio State University regional campus at Lima, OH, and moved from there to a postdoctoral position at Princeton, under Robert May's supervision. In 1980, I took a faculty position at Clark University.

At Clark, I have developed methods for quantifying the success of experimental populations, and this has enabled predictions about the outcome of competition between a native and an invading species. I continue to work with container breeding mosquitoes, with a particular interest in tracking invasions in North America and Bermuda. The most important habitats to understand are far from the pristine wilderness I once envisioned, as the invading mosquitoes do particularly well in piles of discarded tires.

Background

EDUCATION:
Ph.D. (Zoology),
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1978
B.A. cum laude (Biology),
St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, 1973
Postdoctoral Research Fellow,
Princeton University, Princeton NJ, 1979-80

HONORS AND AWARDS:
Illinois State Scholar, 1969
Universities' Research Association Fellow, 1969-1973
Society of Sigma Xi
Clark University Faculty Research Fellow, 1988-1990
Who's Who in America, 2009

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:
Population ecology and species interactions; aquatic biology; biostatistics; mosquito ecology and evolution.

Positions

Current Position:

Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1995-present

Previous Positions:

Acting Chairman, Department of Biology, Fall, 2000, Fall, 2003

Acting Director, Environmental Science and Policy Program, Spring, 2002

Chairman, Department of Biology, 1989-1993.

Associate Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1986-1995

Assistant Professor of Ecology, Department of Biology, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1980-1986

Visiting Research Fellow, Department of Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 1979-1980. (Robert M. May, supervisor)

Lecturer, Department of Zoology, The Ohio State University, Lima Regional Campus, Lima, Ohio, 1978-1979
Courses taught: Introductory Biology (for Biology majors), Introductory Biology (for nonmajors, twice), Human Anatomy and Physiology I, Human Anatomy and Physiology II, Zoology.

Courses taught:

Introduction to Biology, Ecology, Biostatistics, Invertebrate Zoology, Population Biology, Community Ecology, Watershed Ecology, Island Biogeography, Tropical Marine Ecology, Invasion and Extinction, Graduate Research Symposium, Ecology of Infectious Disease, Ecology of Disease Vectors, Quantitative Methods in Biology, Ecology of Atlantic Shores

Activities

Professional Societies:

Ecological Society of America
Sigma Xi
Population Biologists of New England
International Congress of Entomology

Activities:

Manuscript referee for The American Naturalist, Annals of the American Geographical Association, Bioscience, Ecology, Evolution, Science, Oikos, Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, Journal of Medical Entomology, Oecologia, Biological Control - Theory and Application in Pest Management, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Vector Ecology

Grant Proposal referee for the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, Environmental Protection Agency; ad hoc review panel member, National Institutes of Health (1990).

Member, Academic Review Committee for program review, School for Field Studies Centre for Wildlife Management Studies, Feb. 2000.

Member, Committee of Visitors, review of NSF CAREER Program, 2001.

Member, review panel for joint NIH/NSF program on Ecology of Infectious Disease, 2001.

Member, EPA STAR Fellowship review panel, 2006.

Affiliate representative to the School for Field Studies, 1993-present.

Conferences and symposia organized:
Population Biologists of New England, Clark University.
1981, 1987, 1996
Nunnemacher Faculty Research Symposium, Clark University.
1990, 1991
Hermon Carey Bumpus Graduate Research Symposium, Clark University.
1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001

University Committees:
Environmental Science and Policy Program Committee (1986-present)
Library Committee (1982-5)
Science Library Planning Committee (1986)
Faculty Steering Committee (1997-8, 2003)
Research Board (1987-8)
Graduate Board (1995-8, Chair, 1997-8)
Planning committee for an Environmental Studies Concentration (1994)
Environmental School Steering Committee (1995-6)
Planning and Budget Review Committee (2001-3, Chair, 2002-3)
Trustees’ Shareholders’ Responsibility Committee (2001-2)
Trustees’ Academic Affairs Committee, 2002-3

Department Committees:

Curriculum Committee
Graduate Curriculum Committee
Personnel Committee
Budget and Space Committee
Journal Committee
Executive Committee
Nunnemacher Endowment Fund Committee
Keck Proposal Committee, 2005-6
Coordinator, Keck Curriculum Project, 2006-2009

Sponsor, Teacher Enhancement Fellow, 1988-89.

Grants

The Keck Foundation
Title: Complementary Curricular Networks: tools for integrating a biology
Curriculum (with D. Robertson, D. Hibbett and S. Foster)
Award: $300,000
Duration: 1/1/06-12/31/09

The National Institutes of Health
Title: Ecology of large and small scale mosquito invasions (D. Robertson, co-PI)
Award: $216,900
Duration: 6/1/05-5/31/08

The National Institutes of Health
Title: Climatic effects on mosquito egg hatch patterns
Award: $110,325
Duration: 5/1/97-4/30/01

The National Institutes of Health
Supplemental support for a graduate student
Award: $55,216
Duration: 5/1/98-4/30/00

State of Florida, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Title: Competition and egg-hatch inhibition among tire-breeding mosquitoes.
Award: $26,836
Duration: 2/1/93-12/1/93

The National Institutes of Health
Title: Predicting outcomes of the Aedes albopictus invasion.
Award: $101,265
Duration: 5/1/89-4/30/92

The National Institutes of Health
Title: Mechanics of Population Regulation in Aedes triseriatus
Award: $75,000 Duration: 9/30/85- 9/29/87

Apple Computer Corporation
Title: Development of Graphics-based Courseware for Computer Simulation, Optics and Ecology [with D.Stork and H. Gould, Physics, Clark Univ.]
Award: $76,000 (equipment) Duration: 1/1/86-12/31/86

The National Science Foundation
Title: Variable Dormancy as an Organizing Factor in Life History Evolution
Award: $80,000 Duration: 6/1/85- 11/30/88

The National Science Foundation
Title: Habitat Certainty, Dispersal and Colonizing Ability
Award: $50,000 Duration: 7/15/82- 1/14/85

Publications

Presentations, Abstracts, Seminars, etc.

Contributed Papers at Conferences:

Livdahl, T. and G. Sugihara. 1982. Nonlinear interactions: the importance of estimating per capita rates of change. Population Biologists of New England, Fall, 1982 meeting, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Livdahl, T. and R. Koenekoop. 1983. Hierarchical organization of life history traits within a treehole mosquito population. Population Biologists of New England, Fall, 1983 meeting, Brown University.

Livdahl, T. and J.S. Edgerly. 1987. Larva-induced egg hatching inhibition in Aedes mosquitoes: laboratory and field experiments. Population Biologists of New England, Spring, 1987 meeting, Clark University.

Edgerly, J. and T. Livdahl. 1987. Competition, cannibalism, and the cowardly eggs of Aedes triseriatus. Entomological Society of America, 1987 meeting, Boston, MA.

Livdahl, T. and J. Edgerly. 1988. Self-management of production by mosquito larvae? A life cycle manipulation experiment. Entomological Society of America, 1988 meeting, Louisville, KY.

Rosenzweig, M. and T. Livdahl. 1989. Egg size, hatch delay, and life history organization in Aedes triseriatus. Entomological Society of America, 1989 meeting, San Antonio, TX.

Livdahl, T. and M. Willey. 1990. Stable coexistence between Aedes triseriatus and invading A. albopictus ? Entomological Society of America, 1990 meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Willey, M. and T. Livdahl. 1990. Comparative risks of predation for North American container breeding Aedes. Entomological Society of America, 1990 meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Edgerly, J.S., M. McFarland, P. Morgan and T. Livdahl. 1996. Oviposition decisions by a tree-hole mosquito: A test of multiple hypotheses in the field. XX International Congress of Entomology. Florence, Italy.

Dennehy, J., C. Vitek and T. Livdahl. 2000. Hatch delay in treehole mosquitoes as a bet hedging strategy: relations to precipitation patterns. Ecological Society of America, Salt Lake City UT.

Vitek, C., J. Dennehy and T. Livdahl. 2000. Climatic effects on hatch delay in Aedes triseriatus. International Congress of Entomology, Iguassu Falls, Brazil.

Gonzalez, K.M., Hassan, A., Le, A.N., Mike, V., Torch. B.A., Wheaton, J.P., Livdahl, T.P., and Kennedy, L.M. (2008) Experience induced increases in taste discrimination for sweeteners and monosodium glutamate (MSG). (Abstract) Chemical Senses, 3, 373.

Khatchikian, C. and T. Livdahl. 2009. Population structure of Aedes albopictus in the USA. Aedes albopictus symposium, Rutgers University, February 2009.

Chmielewski, M., Khatchikian, C. and T Livdahl. 2009. Testing the r' method of estimating per capita growth rate in Aedes albopictus. Aedes albopictus symposium, Rutgers University, February 2009.

Khatchikian, C., Kendell, D. and T. Livdahl. 2009. Aedes albopictus in Bermuda: seasonality, spatial correlates and density dependence. Aedes albopictus symposium, Rutgers University, February 2009.

Gonzalez, K., C. Peo, T. Livdahl and L. Kennedy. 2008. Experience-induced changes in sugar taste discrimination. Chemical Senses, In Press (abstract).

Gonzalez, K.M., Le, A. N.,, Livdahl, T. P., and Kennedy, L. M. 2009 A receptor focused analysis of experience induced changes in glucoseand monosodium glutamate (MSG) taste sensitivity. Chem Senses, In Press (abstract).


Invited Presentations at Conferences:

Livdahl, T. 1983. Egg hatching strategies in Aedes triseriatus. Symposium on Aedes triseriatus biology, 1983 meeting of the Entomological Society of America, Detroit, MI.

Livdahl, T. and R. Koenekoop. 1984. The nature of hatching in Aedes triseriatus. International Mosquito Ecology Workshop, Welaka, Florida, January, 1984.

Livdahl, T. and R. Koenekoop. 1988. Relationships among hatch delay, life history structure and genetic variation within a population of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae). Mosquito evolution symposium, XVIII International Congress of Entomology, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Livdahl, T., Firko, M. and J.S. Edgerly. 1988. Recruitment patterns and their influence on response to larval competition in Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae). Phytothelmata symposium, XVIII International Congress of Entomology, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Livdahl, T. and M. Willey. 1991 Stable coexistence between Ae. triseriatus and Ae. albopictus? Symposium on the biology of Aedes triseriatus, National Meeting of the American Mosquito Control Association, New Orleans, LA.

Livdahl, T. and M. Willey. 1992. Mechanisms of coexistence among competing North American container-breeding mosquitoes. Symposium on the ecology of Container-breeding mosquitoes, National Meeting of the American Mosquito Control Association, Corpus Christi, TX.

Livdahl, T. and J.S. Edgerly. 1997. Density-dependent oviposition strategies of Aedes triseriatus. Symposium on the ecology of Container-breeding mosquitoes, National Meeting of the American Mosquito Control Association, Salt Lake City, UT.

Livdahl, T. and C. Katchikian. 2008. The Labor Day mosquito count. Annual meeting of the New Jersey Mosquito Control Association, Atlantic City.


Seminars:

1978 University of Connecticut
1979 Oberlin College
Kenyon College
Amherst College
1979 Eastern Illinois University
Princeton University
1980 Brown University
Clark University
1981 College of the Holy Cross
Worcester State College
University of Rhode Island
1982 Boston University
1983 Univ. of Massachusetts
Harvard University
1985 Emory University
Clark University
1986 State University of New York at Albany
1988 Cornell University
Wellesley College
1990 Cambridge Entomological Society
1993 Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory
1997 Worcester Polytechnic Institute
2002 Bermuda Department of Health
Rhode Island College