Michael J. Greene, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
RESEARCH INTERESTS
In my research I take a multidisciplinary approach towards understanding chemical communication in animals. The goals of my research are three-fold: 1) to understand the mechanisms by which semiochemicals, natural products that act as signals or cues, mediate animal physiology and behavior, 2) to characterize and identify the chemical structures of these semiochemicals along with factors regulating their production, and 3) to characterize the ecological, behavioral and social contexts under which they operate. The overlying purpose of this approach is to synthesize information about the structure and function of semiochemicals in order to gain a comprehensive view of animal chemical communication systems. To this end, my research operates at several levels of biological organization ranging from the biochemical to the ecological, although most of the work is organismal in nature.
The bulk of my current research involves the investigation of how ants utilize chemical recognition cues in order to inform behavioral decisions. I am particularly interested in cues present in the mixture of surface lipids, including hydrocarbon molecules, which coat the surface of ants. Such cues can inform task decisions in harvester ants along with nestmate recognition and species recognition responses in other species. I currently have funding through USDA/CSREES/NRI to investigate nestmate recognition cues in the pavement ant (Tetramorium caespitum). I also work in collaboration with Dr. Deborah Gordon of Stanford University to investigate how task allocation is influenced by chemically-mediated interaction patterns among harvester ant workers.
Other current and past projects in the laboratory include:
- Task allocation, nestmate and species recognition in the western harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis)
- Swarming behavior and social recognition in bats (Amy Englert, M.S. candidate Biology)
- Spatial ecology of gopher snakes (David Reavill, M.S. Biology, 2005)
- Comparative study of garter snake water loss physiology (Clint Henke, M.S. Environmental Sciences, 2005)
- Chemically mediate nestmate recognition in T. caespitum (Kazu Sano, M.I.S., 2007)
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
Greene, M. J. and D. M. Gordon. 2007. How patrollers set foraging direction in harvester ants. American Naturalist, 179: 943-948.
Greene, M. J. and D. M. Gordon. 2007. Interaction rate informs harvester ant task decisions. Behavioral Ecology, 18: 451-455.
Greene, M. J. and D. M. Gordon. 2007. Structural complexity of chemical recognition cues affects the perception of group membership in the ants Linepithema humile and Aphaenogaster cockerelli. Journal of Experimental Biology, 210: 897-905.
Volny, V. P., M. J. Greene, and D. M. Gordon. 2006. Brood production and lineage discrimination in the red harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex barbatus). Ecology, 87: 2194-2200.
Frederickson, M. E., M. J. Greene, and D. M. Gordon. 2005. Ants bedevil devil’s gardens. Nature, 437: 495-496.
Greene, M. J. and R. T. Mason. 2005. The effects of cloacal secretions on brown tree snake behavior. In: “Chemical Signals in Vertebrates, X.” R. T. Mason, M. P. LeMaster, and D. Müller-Schwarze, (Eds). Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, pp. 49-55.
Moore, I. T., M. J. Greene*, D. T. Lerner, C. E. Asher, R. W. Krohmer, D. L. Hess, Joan Whittier, and R. T. Mason. 2005. Physiological evidence for reproductive suppression in the introduced population of brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam. Biological Conservation, 121: 91-98. *Note: I. T. Moore and M. J. Greene contributed equally to the manuscript.
Greene, M. J. and D. M. Gordon. 2003. Cuticular hydrocarbons inform task decisions. Nature, 423: 32.
Greene, M. J. and R. T. Mason. 2003. Pheromonal Inhibition of Male Courtship Behaviour in the Brown Tree Snake, Boiga irregularis - A mechanism for the rejection of potential mates. Animal Behaviour, 65: 905-910.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University.
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Zoology, Oregon State University.
- Ph.D. Department of Zoology, Oregon State University.
- B.S. Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University.
COURSES TAUGHT:
- Human Physiology, BIOL 3225
- Mechanisms of Animal Behavior, BIOL 4250/5250
- Advanced Topics: Comparative Physiology, BIOL 4050/5050
- Graduate Seminar, BIOL 6655
MEMBERS OF THE GEENE LABORTORY
- Amy Englert, M.S. Biology candidate (research topic: bat swarming and social recognition)
- Nate Bannon, M.S. Biology candidate (research topic: chemical recognition cues in T. caespitum)
CURRENT UNDERDGRADUATE STUDENTS
- Jason Truong
- Lynne Khuu
- Thim Diem Janelle
- Truska Mahmood
- Hanna Cleveringa
- Rebeccah Dykes
ALUMNI OF THE GREENE LABORATORY
Graduate Students:
Kazuhiro Sano, M.I.S.; Current position: Research associate, University of Tsukuba, Japan
David Reavill, M.S., Biology; Current position: Doctoral student, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado.
Clint Henke, M.S., Environmental Sciences; Current position: Natural Resource Specialist, ERO Resources, Denver, Colorado
(Undergraduate Researchers)
- Janelle Lynne
- Danny Sanculi