Karen Warkentin
Associate Professor of Biology at Boston University
Schools
- Boston University
Links
Biography
Boston University
Research in the Warkentin laboratory examines developing organisms in an ecological context. They study hatching and metamorphosis as critical life history transitions, focusing on the ability of animals to facultatively alter these switch points in response to changing risks and opportunities in each life stage. Their research integrates ideas and techniques from ecology, behavior, and physiology, developmental and evolutionary biology, and mechanical engineering.
The lab’s study organisms are amphibians and their enemies. In the neotropics we study leaf-breeding treefrogs, with arboreal eggs and aquatic tadpoles. Their work addresses mechanisms of plasticity, its evolution, and the consequences of different plastic ‘choices’ in different environments.
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Cases
When Under Attack, These Frogs Hatch Themselves
June 27, 2016
New York Times (subscription required) Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences It’s a good thing for frog embryos to be able to hatch early… Expert quote: “Think bald eagles and salmon, but really small.” View full article
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Frog Embryos Speed-Hatch to Escape Danger
June 16, 2016
LiveScience Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences A developing frog embryo in its jelly-like egg mass can be quite the escape artist: When predators come calling, the red-eyed tree frog embryo can detect the threat and drop out of its egg to safety in a matter of seconds, even though it normally wouldn’t be ready […]
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How red-eyed treefrog embryos hatch in seconds
June 15, 2016
PhysOrg Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences When they come under attack by a predatory treesnake, red-eyed treefrog embryos must escape in seconds or risk becoming lunch… Expert quote: “This escape hatching is a mechanism for running away from a really important predator.” View full article
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Badass frog embryos can hatch in seconds to escape snakes and wasps
June 15, 2016
The Verge Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Even as little embryos in eggs, red-eyed tree frogs are totally badass… Expert quote: “For red-eyed tree frogs, their fast-hatching mechanism enables about 80 percent of embryos to escape from snake and wasp attacks, over a pretty broad developmental period.” View full article
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Frog embryos can opt to leave egg early
June 9, 2015
Futurity News Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Eggs are great places for frog embryos, but aren’t impervious to threats like limited oxygen, floods, fungal pathogens, and predators… Expert quote: “Hatching is a controlled, regulated response. At some point, the embryos will decide to do it. It’s amazing the information they attend to.” View […]
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Behavior Brief
April 10, 2013
The Scientist Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research… Expert quote: “This is not just happening in delicate skinks. I’m thinking that environmentally cued hatching is very widespread, in many groups.” View full article
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An Emergency Hatch for Baby Lizards
April 5, 2013
Science Magazine Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Talk about hatching an escape plan… Expert quote: “This is not just happening in delicate skinks—I’m thinking that environmentally cued hatching is very widespread, in many groups. But exactly how embryos make the decision to stay put or bail out is something we’re still trying to […]
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How the Tree Frog Has Redefined Our View of Biology
December 19, 2012
Smithsonian Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Karen Warkentin, wearing tall olive-green rubber boots, stands on the bank of a concrete-lined pond at the edge of the Panamanian rainforest… View article
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