Dr. Jessamyn Manson
Principle Investigator, she/her
I’ve been studying plants and insects for over twenty years and am still mesmerized every time I watch a bee collecting nectar. I work on the chemical, behavioral, physiological, and evolutionary ecology of plant-pollinator interactions in the lab and the field.
You?
If you are a current UVA student with an interest in ecology and plant-insect interactions, please contact me about summer research opportunities, including independent projects (BIOL 4920), volunteer work and research assistantships.
Past group members
My research takes place at Mountain Lake Biological Station, where I mentor undergraduate research projects. Learn more about current and past students and projects below.
Current group members
Maura Davis
Undergrad Researcher, U Virginia 2019
Maura helped establish ongoing research on how chemical and physical defenses in milkweeds vary across an elevational gradient. Maura is currently a research assistant at the UT Health in San Antonio, where she is studying neurodevelopment in fruit flies.
Mónica Higuera Diaz
PhD, U Alberta 2018
Using a combination of transcriptomics and traditional field ecology, Mónica’s thesis compared the floral traits of two rare Alberta plants (family Cleomaceae) that attract a wide range of pollinators to several closely related species that have a specialized group of pollinators. She found that gene repertoires for key floral traits were similar between pollinator generalist and specialist plants. Mónica is currently writing a book about native butterflies back home in Columbia.
Hannah Baker
Research Assistant, U Virginia 2020
Hannah worked primarily on variation in the chemical defenses of milkweeds along an elevational gradient. She also helped create a pollen library for plants in the Charlottesville area. Hannah recently completed her MS on the response of seagrass meadows to hurricanes at UNC Wilmington.
Michelle Launi
Undergrad Researcher, U Virginia 2020
Michelle’s project examined spatial distribution of milkweed beetles on plants and whether this was related to variation in within-plant defense traits. Michelle is now a research assistant at Amherst College and is working on disease transmission in plants.
Monica Kohler
MSc, U Alberta 2017
Monica’s thesis examined biodiversity of native bees in different agricultural ecosystems across Alberta. Her work compared bee communities in highly managed canola fields to more lightly managed rangeland sites across a large ecological gradient. Monica is now the co-director of the application center at the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute.
Angela Phung
MSc, U Alberta 2017
Angela investigated how timing and intensity of herbivore damage to Cicer milkvetch, an invasive plant in Alberta, affected plant growth and reproduction. She focused on how pollinators responded to changes in floral traits such a flower size and nectar volume. Angela is a biologist at the Pacific Salmon Commission in British Columbia .
Ashton Sturm
MSc, U Alberta 2017
Ashton studied pollinator biodiversity in native rangelands across Alberta, focusing on environmental factors that are correlated with biodiversity in these habitats. She also evaluated whether cleptoparasitic bees, which rely on other bees to care for their offspring, can be an indicator species for the larger bee community. Ashton is now a compliance specialist at Larssen Greenhouse Consulting in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Ben Sperling
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2016
Ben’s 3rd year project looked at whether low pH nectar alters nectar consumption rates in bumble bees. Ben is now a research assistant at the PLACE research in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta.
Luis Aguirre
REU student, Mountain Lake Biological Station, 2015
Luis conducted a field experiment on how the intensity and duration of herbivory affects pollination in milkweeds. Luis is completing his PhD at U Mass Amherst, where he studies how herbivores affect plant-pollinator interactions and the role of nectar secondary metabolites in mediating these interactions.
Jillian Cameron
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2015
Jill completed a senior thesis on how consuming canola pollen affects bumble bee performance. Jill went on to complete her MSc in Biology at the University of Alberta with Dr. Erin Bayne, studying how light pollution affects frog calling behavior.
Erin Cox
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2015
Erin conducted a 3rd year project on the effects of artificial grazing on seed germination in Cicer milkvetch. Erin is now a Master’s student at the University of Alberta studying bryology.
Jenny Kleininger
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2015
Jenny’s 3rd year independent project examined phenotypic variation in Bombus rufocinctus, a very common and often cryptic bumble bee in Alberta. Jenny is currently pursuing a career in fashion design in Barcelona.
Jesse Starkey
REU student, Mountain Lake Biological Station, 2015
Jesse’s REU project examined how bumble bees respond to differences in nectar volume in hermaphrodite vs. female Silene flowers. He continued working on bumble bees in his MS at Penn State University and is currently a PhD student at Texas A&M, studying fire ants.
Ana Breit
REU student, Mountain Lake Biological Station, 2014
Ana studied changes in nectar rewards following artificial herbivory in two milkweed species. Ana completed an MSc at the University of Winnipeg studying diseases in bats and is currently a PhD student at the University of Maine studying body temperature regulation in small mammals.
Alec Carrigy
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2014
For his 4th year project, Alec conducted a network analysis of plant-pollinator interactions in a grassland over one summer. Alec completed his MS at the University of New Mexico studying how drought affects desert grassland community structure. He is now a project manager for the Alberta Water Council and the Clean Air Strategic Alliance in Alberta.
Michael Foisy
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2014
Michael’s 4th year project investigated how variation in light levels affect foraging preferences in bumble bees. He also surveyed wild bumble bee pathogens around Edmonton. Michael completed his MSc at the University of Toronto with Dr. Helen Rodd and Dr. Luke Mahler studying sexual selection on male ornamentation in fish. Michael maintains a fondness for bees.
Danielle Hoefele
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2014
Danielle examined how pollen quality affects pollen consumption rates in bumble bees. Danielle recently completed her MSc at Simon Fraser University where she studied communication and foraging ecology in fire ants.
Jennifer Nichols
Undergraduate Researcher, U Alberta 2014
Jenn completed a 4th year project on color preferences of Lepidopteran pollinators, then helped catalogue bees along with working on numerous research projects. Jenn is back at school studying Education.
Philip Shimel
REU student, Mountain Lake Biological Station, 2014
Philip spent the better part of a summer observing how pollinators responded to simulated herbivory in milkweed populations. Philip completed his MSc at the University of Manitoba studying social networks in ground squirrels.