PROFESSOR LINDA S. FINK

(434) 381-6436
lfink@sbc.edu

 

Education:
Ph.D. 1989 University of Florida (Zoology)
M.S.  1984 University of Florida (Zoology)
B.A.  1980  Amherst College (Biology)

Research

I have three interrelated research interests. 

 I study arthropod behavior and ecology, and have published work on caterpillars, butterflies and spiders.  Currently I am a co-principal investigator (with Lincoln Brower and additional colleagues) on a project to understand why monarch butterflies are so selective about their wintering sites in Mexico.   I am also investigating sexual selection and sperm competition in the northern walkingstick insect, Diapheromera femorata, using microsatellite DNA.

About a decade ago my ecology students began collecting data on invasive plants in Sweet Briar's forests.  The two plants that my students and I have focused on are Japanese stiltgrass, Microstegium vimineum, and periwinkle, Vinca minor.  My interest in invasive species has broadened to encompass student research on exotic plant pathogens, parasitoids, earthworms and crayfish.  Linking my interest in Lepidoptera and exotic species, Shelly Kellogg '02, Lincoln Brower and I conducted a field experiment on the effect of an exotic parasitic fly, Compsilura concinnata, on native caterpillars;  I am continuing to study Compsilura.

As the field biologist on a 3200-acre campus, I also conduct research with students and visiting scientists on the ecology of our hardwood forests.  Some of this work takes advantage of long-term study plots of individually marked trees. 

Recent papers presented  (* = undergraduate author, presenter)

2007.   Fink, L.S. The monarch butterfly man: A Lincoln portrait.   Invited presentation, Symposium on Honour of Lincoln Pierson Brower.  Fifth International Conference on the Biology of Butterflies.  Villa Mondragone, Italy, 2-7 July.

2006. Fink, L.S., Brower, L.P. and T.Himelright Helton.* The limited freeze resistance of overwintering monarch butterflies.  Annual meeting of the Lepidopterists' Society, 14-18 June, Gainesville FL.

2006. Fink, L.S., T. Himelright* and L.P. Brower. The limited freeze resistance of monarch butterflies, Danaus plexippus, from Mexican overwintering sites.   Entomological Society of America Eastern Branch, annual meeting. Charlottesville VA, 14 March 2006.

2006. L.P. Brower, L.S. Fink, I. Ramirez, S. Weiss, D. Slayback and D. Perault. The physiological ecology of overwintering monarch butterflies. Invited paper in the symposium, Ecophysiology and conservation: the contributions of energetics. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, annual meeting.  Orlando FL, 4-8 January.

2005. L.P. Brower, L.S. Fink, D.E. Slayback, D. Perault. Deterioration of the prime overwintering habitat in the monarch butterfly biosphere reserve in Mexico. Invited paper in the symposium, Biology and Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly. Pacific Grove CA, 2 March.   Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch, annual meeting.

2005. D. Slayback, I. Ramirez, L.P. Brower, D. Perault, L.S. Fink. A remote-sensing overview of forest cover change in the monarch butterfly overwintering region in Mexico. Invited paper in the symposium, Biology and Conservation of the Monarch Butterfly. Pacific Grove CA, 2 March 2005.  Entomological Society of America Pacific Branch, annual meeting.

2004.  Tannahill, C.* and L. Fink. the effects of Japanese stilt grass, Microstegium vimineum, on earthworm abundance and diversity in central Virginia.  Annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, 14-17 April, Memphis TN.

2003.  Chilton, R*., Tannahill, C.*, Stassi, A.* and L. Fink. The effects of logging on the occurrence of an invasive exotic grass, Microstegium vimineum.  Annual meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists, 11 April, Arlington VA.

2002 Kellogg, S.K.*, L.S. Fink, and L.P. Brower. Parasitism of luna moths by the non-native tachinid fly, Compsilura concinnata, in central Virginia. The Lepidopterists' Society meeting, Charleston, S.C.

2002 Basten, C.S.B.*, L.S. Fink, and L.P. Brower. Changes in appetite of female migratory monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). The Lepidopterists' Society meeting, Charleston, S.C.

2000 Perault, D. and L.S. Fink. GIS and GPS technology in forest research and management [lecture and workshop] Managing to Create the Ancient Forest conference, Sweet Briar College, 18 May

 

Selected publications  (full publication list)

Slayback, D.A., Brower, L.P., Ramirez, M.I. and Fink, L.S. 2007. Establishing the presence and absence of overwintering colonies of the monarch butterfly in Mexico by the use of small aircraft .  American Entomologist 53 (1): 28-40.

Brower, L. P., Fink, L.S. and P. Walford.  2006.  Fueling the fall migration of the monarch butterfly. Integrative and Comparative Biology 46: 1123-1142.

Kellogg, S.K.*, Fink, L.S., & Brower, L.P. 2003. Parasitism of native luna moths, Actias luna (L.) (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) by the introduced Compsilura concinnata (Meigen) (Diptera:  Tachinidae) in central Virginia, and their hyperparasitism by trigonalid wasps (Hymenoptera: Trigonalidae). Environmental Entomology 32: 1019-1027. download pdf reprint

Fink, L.S. 1997. Using video production in teaching natural history. The American Biology Teacher 59(3): 142-146.

Fink, L.S. 1995. Foodplant effects on colour morphs of Eumorpha fasciata caterpillars (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 56(3): 423-437.

Fink, L.S. 1986. Costs and benefits of maternal behaviour in the green lynx spider (Oxyopidae, Peucetia viridans). Animal Behaviour 34: 1051-1059.

Fink, L.S. and Brower, L.P. 1981. Birds can overcome the cardenolide defense of monarch butterflies in Mexico. Nature 291: 67-70.

Recent student research projects  (full list of supervised projects)

I supervise research on the ecology, natural history, and behavior of organisms in the wild. Most students work on insect biology, but students with strong backgrounds in ecology or natural history sometimes have their own ideas of questions that they would like to pursue.  As long as I feel that I have enough expertise to supervise them, I enjoy learning along with them.  My students are expected to collect, manipulate and analyze quantitative data to test a hypothesis generated from the literature or from direct observation. 

Insect biology
Jenn Wiley, Do monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) histolyze flight muscles during the overwintering period?
Cara Cherry, The nectaring biology of the overwintering monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Abby Adams, DNA fingerprinting used to determine paternity of the northern walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata): developing a technique to optimize PCR results.
Tamara Himelright, Monarch cold hardiness.
Michi Krohn, The mating ecology of the northern walkingstick, Diapheromera femorata: does size matter?
Serena Basten, On the ability of migratory and overwintering female monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) to convert sucrose to lipids
Salina Woodard, The status of the wood roach, Cryptocercus punctulatus, in the forests of Sweet Briar College

Effects of invasive exotic species on natural communities
Jennifer Summerfield, Effects of crayfish chemical cues on hatching of spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum)
Megan Ogilvie, The effect of Vinca minor on microhabitat selection by Peromyscus mice
Shelly Kellogg, Effects of an exotic tachinid fly parasitoid on luna moth caterpillar survival
Laurel Speilman, The role of fungal competition and tannin chemistry in chestnut and oak resistance to Cryphonectria parasitica
Christina Tannahill, The effects of Japanese stilt grass, Microstegium vimineum, on earthworm abundance and diversity

Student-generated research topics
Tricia Hamilton, The effects of stocked trout on macroinvertebrates in Virginia mountain streams
Kim Leach, The effects of abiotic factors on the calling intensities of the Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) and the American Toad (Bufo americanus)

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