Faculty Profiles
Steven L. Lima
Professor
Ph.D., University of Rochester
College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor
Phone: 812-237-3677
E-mail:
Steven.Lima@indstate.edu
Office: Science Building 275
Research Interests: predator-prey interactions; animal behavior; avian ecology, evolutionary ecology.
Predator-Prey Interactions
One of ecology's most basic truisms is that all animals must eat to survive, and virtually all are potential food for other animals.
Much of my research represents an attempt to fully
understand this truism, and in so doing, gain new
insight into the nature of animal behavior and
ecological systems. My research in this area spans the
spectrum from theoretical to field work, and covers a
variety of topics and taxa.
Some recent/current areas
of work include:
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Spatial and other aspects of the hunting behavior of Accipiter hawks
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Anti-predator vigilance and related topics
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Prey naiveté about predators and its broad-scale ecological implications
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Predator-prey games in behavior and ecology
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Integration of anti-predator behavior and stress physiology
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Flexibility in avian breeding under the risk of predation
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Maternal effects in predator recognition and anti-predator behavior
A freshly radio-tagged sharp-shinned hawk. These hawks feed exclusively on small birds during the winter. Radio-tracking studies are underway with the goal of gaining a
much better understanding of the predatory behavior of these elusive hawks.
© 2001 by Steven L. Lima
Avian Ecology
Research in my laboratory also addresses areas more
traditionally in the realm of avian ecology, although
much of the above-mentioned research on predator-prey
interactions is also directly related to avian ecology
as well. This work covers both applied and basic
ecological research.
Some current areas of research include:
- Grassland birds breeding in reclaimed Midwestern coal mines
- Prevention of aircraft-bird strikes via an understanding of anti-predator behavior
- Recent urbanization and ecology of crow roosts
Recent Publications from the Lima lab
Thaker, M., Vanak, A.T., S.L. Lima, and D.K. Hews. 2010.
Stress and aversive learning in a wild vertebrate: the role of
corticosterone in mediating escape from a novel stressor.
American Naturalist, in press.
Steury, T.D., J.E.
McCarthy, T.C. Roth, S.L. Lima, D.L. Murray. 2010.
Evaluation of a root-n bandwidth selectors for kernel density estimation.
Journal of Wildlife Management, in press.
Lima, S.L. 2009. Predators and the breeding bird: behavioral and reproductive
flexibility under the risk of predation.
Biological Reviews 84:485-513.
Thaker, M., S.L. Lima, and D.K. Hews. 2009.
Acute corticosterone elevation enhances antipredator behaviors in male
tree lizard morphs. Hormones and Behavior 56:51-57.
Lima, S. L. 2009. Predators and the breeding bird: behavioral and reproductive flexibility under the risk of predation. Biological Reviews, in press.
Lima, S. L. 2009. Predators and the breeding bird: behavioral and reproductive flexibility under the risk of predation. Biological Reviews, in press.
Thaker, M., S. L. Lima, and D. K. Hews. 2009. Alternative antipredator tactics in tree lizards: Hormonal and behavioral responses to a predator encounter. Animal Behaviour 77:395-401.
Roth, T. C., J. G. Cox, and S. L. Lima. 2008. Can foraging birds assess predation risk by scent? Animal Behaviour 76:2021-2027.
Roth, T. C., J. G. Cox, and S. L. Lima. 2008. The use and transfer of information about predation risk in flocks of wintering finches. Ethology 114:1218-1226.
Storm, J. J., and S. L. Lima. 2008. Predator-naive crickets (gryllus pennsylvanicus) respond to chemical cues of wolf spiders. Canadian Journal of Zoology 86:1259-1263.
Lesku,
J. A., R. J. bark, D.
Roth, T. C., W. E.
Vetter, and S. L. Lima. 2008. Spatial ecology of wintering Accipiter
hawks: home range, habitat use, and the influence of bird feeders.
Condor 110:260-268.
Lesku, J. A., T. C.
Roth, T. C., and S.
L. Lima. 2007. Use of predictable
prey hotspots by predators: purposeful unpredictability?
American Naturalist 169:264-273.
Roth, T. C., and S. L.
Lima. 2007. The predatory behavior
of wintering Accipiter hawks: temporal patterns in activity of predators and
prey. Oecologia 152:169-178.
Cox, J. G., and S. L.
Lima. 2006. Naivete and an
aquatic-terrestrial dichotomy in the effects of introduced predators. Trends in
Ecology and Evolution 21:674-680.
Lesku, J. A., T. C.
Roth, C. J. Amlaner, and S. L. Lima. 2006.
A phylogenetic analysis of sleep architecture in mammals: the influence
of anatomy, physiology, and ecology.
American Naturalist 168:441-453.
Roth, T. C., J. A.
Lesku, C. J. Amlaner, and S. L. Lima. 2006.
A phylogenetic analysis of the correlates of sleep in birds.
Journal of Sleep Research 15:395-402.