Professor
Office: Hagen Building 407 R
Biosciences Department
Minnesota State University Moorhead
1104 7th Ave S, Moorhead, MN, 56563
Email: wisenden@gmail.com
Personal office land line: 218-477-5001
Department Office (Johanna): 218-477-2572
Fall 2012
Organismal Biology
Aquatic Biology
Research in Biology
Spring 2013
Animal Behavior
Research in Biology
Tropical Field Biology
(Costa Rica)
Summer 2013
Animal Behavior field course
Itasca Biological Field Station
University of Minnesota
Service
Managing Editor, Behaviour
I study the ways fish use behavior to solve ecological problems (behavioral ecology). The focus of my research is anti-predator competence over ecological and evolutionary time scales. One line of research questions is how chemical cues mediate anti-predator behavior in aquatic habitats. A second set of questions is reproductive behavior of fishes, especially in the evolution of brood defense. Most recently I have been doing research on how parasites compromise the behavioral phenotype of their host to facilitate trophic transmission to their final host. I do lab research during the academic year using MSUM's fabulous aquatic research facility and field work in the summer at sites in Itasca State Park in my other life teaching for the University of Minnesota. All of this work is done almost entirely with undergraduate collaborators.
Fish research team for 2012-2013 (so far): Faculty co-advisor Shireen Alemadi and her team working on convict cichlid evo-devo: Olivia Hanson, Cal Flander, Julie Piche, and Brittney Rother; working directly with me on behavioral syndromes in zebrafish: Evangeline Holley and Kaitlyn Ludwig; proximate aspects of goldfish olfaction: Neil Sloan, Katrina Jangula, Tiffany Larson and Steve Redding; and odor tracking by juvenile convict cichlids: Emily Mammenga. Graduated in December: Randy Sutrisno and Carissa Storseth.
Publications
- see the results and download pdfs of previous research
- google scholar profile
Collaborations
I have active collaborations within the MSUM Biosciences Department with Linda Fuselier on chemical ecology of aquatic animals and general pedagogy of undergraduate biology curricula, Dan McEwen for all things quantitative, and Ellen Brisch on the ontogeny of anti-predator competence in larval cichlids.
I also enjoy the stimulating benefits of collaborations with labs at other institutions.
1. Reproductive behavioral ecology of pupfish and convict cichlids Murray Itzkowitz, Kim Little, Jen Snekser, Joe Leese, Lehigh University
2. Parasite-host interactions between Ornithodiplostomum and fathead minnows with Cam Goater, Tony Stumbo, Clayton James, University of Lethbridge
3. Chemical ecology of fish with Peter Sorensen, University of Minnesota
4. Reproductive ecology of convict cichlids in Costa Rica with Jean-Guy Godin and Stacey Lee Jenkins, Carleton University
5. Chemical ecology of predator-prey interactions with Doug Chivers and Maud Ferrari, University of Saskatchewan
6. Behavioral ecology of fish with Mark Clark, Environmental and Conservation Sciences, North Dakota State University