College of Science Distinguished Speaker: Marty Martin

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Distinguished Speaker Series

College of Science Distinguished Speaker
How can some species have such broad geographic distributions, and why should we care?
Dr. Marty Martin
Professor, Global Health and Infectious Disease Center and the Center for Genomics 
University of South Florida
AAAS Fellow, a Fulbright Fellow, a Fellow of the American Ornithologists Society
Host of the Big Biology Podcast

Abstract:
A very few species, including many birds, can colonize and occupy many and diverse habitats, yet how they do so remains obscure.  My lab’s work on one of the world’s most broadly-disturbed songbirds, the house sparrow, is revealing that nimble regulation of gene expression is important in this range-expansion success.  Birds this species vary extensively in what we call epigenetic potential, a genomic trait that captures the ability of individuals to alter gene expression via a process called DNA methylation.  Through this and other mechanisms, this bird and maybe other vertebrate species might come to act as ecological pests.  Indeed, our other work on the house sparrow has revealed is particularly adept at acting a reservoir for pathogens including Salmonella enterica but especially West Nile virus.  In particular, we’ve found that pervasive anthropogenic stressors, especially light pollution, can make this already a very competent host an even greater risk of infection from West Nile virus, especially because house sparrows tend to thrive where human habitat modification is extensive.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Martin is a Professor in USF’s Global Health and Infectious Disease Center and the Center for Genomics at the University of South Florida. His research is focused on the molecular and physiological basis of how vertebrates expand their geographic ranges, act as reservoirs for zoonotic diseases, and cope with natural and anthropogenic stressors.  He earned his PhD from Princeton University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at The Ohio State University before joining USF.  He is an AAAS Fellow, a Fulbright Fellow, a Fellow of the American Ornithologists Society, host of the Big Biology podcast (www.bigbiology.org), and author of >150 peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Intended Audience:
Those with interest in the topic.

           

To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu


Contact
Kyle Derry
5855307224
Event Snapshot
When and Where
April 12, 2023
1:00 pm - 1:50 pm
Room/Location: A300
Who

Open to the Public

Interpreter Requested?

No

Topics
research
staff
student experience
sustainability