Sharon E. Wise, Ph.D.
- Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- Distinguished Professor of Biology
Biography
I am a behavioral ecologist with a Ph.D. (1995) in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology and an M.S. in Biology (1991) from The University of Louisiana, Lafayette. My dissertation is titled, Variation in the Life History and Sociobiology of a Territorial Salamander. My master's thesis is titled, Territorial Conflicts of Tail-Autotomizing Salamanders: Males Play Asymmetric Games. My undergraduate degree is a B.S. in Zoology (1988) from the University of Florida. My teaching interests are in the areas of Research Methods, Animal Behavior, Anatomy and Physiology, and Behavioral Ecology.
My research interest is broadly in the area of behavioral ecology. More specifically, I have combined laboratory and field studies to investigate (1) factors that influence the expression of aggressive behavior, such as body condition, body size, resource availability, and prior experience in territorial salamanders, (2) the modes by which these salamanders communicate and obtain information related to body size and condition, (3) trade-offs associated with territorial advertisement and energy acquisition, (4) the relationship between social interactions and population distribution in natural habitats, (5) the nocturnal activity patterns of these salamanders, and (6) environmental conditions and perturbations which may alter the distribution and activity of these salamanders. I am also interested in the impact of pollutants on behavior and ecology, especially the impact of light pollution on foraging and activity. Primarily, I have conducted studies using amphibians. Most frequently, I have studied the terrestrial red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus; a species that is abundant in mature, eastern forests throughout North America, including near Utica, NY.
Opportunities for Student Research and Collaboration
There are many opportunities for students to conduct research under my direction, and I am currently seeking motivated students interested in behavior and ecology. Students may either conduct their own research, under my direction, or participate in one of my ongoing projects. I am interested in working with students during the regular school year and/or during the summer. Limited funding is available through the College and the Department of Biology for undergraduate research. I collaborate with other biologists in the department, so there are opportunities for working with several faculty on a project.
Education
B.S. in Zoology, University of Florida
M.S. in Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Ph.D. in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Research
Recent Research Publications (* indicates undergraduate collaborators)
Wise, S. E., A. Rohacek*, A. Schlichting*, T. Cabrera*, and B. Buchanan. 2022. The effect of artificial night lighting on tail regeneration and prey consumption in a nocturnal salamander (Plethodon cinereus), and on the behavior of fruit fly prey (Drosophila virilis). Animals 12 (16):2105. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12162105.
Wise, S. E. and R.G. Jaeger. 2021. Maternal body size and condition predict measures of reproductive success and future reproductive allocation in territorial eastern red-backed salamanders. Ichthyology & Herpetology 109:55-63. https://dx.doi.org/10.1643/h2019323.
Wise, S. E. and R.G. Jaeger. 2016. Seasonal and geographic variation in territorial conflicts by male red-backed salamanders. Behaviour 153:187-207. https://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1568539X-00003334.
Perry, G., B. W. Buchanan, R. N. Fisher, M. Salmon, and S. E. Wise. 2008. Effects of artificial night lighting on amphibians and reptiles in urban environments, pp. 239-256. In: Urban Herpetology. J. C. Mitchell, R. E. Jung Brown, and B. Bartholomew (eds.). Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. Salt Lake City, UT.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2006. The influence of artificial illumination on the nocturnal behavior and physiology of salamanders, pp. 221-251. In: Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting, C. Rich and T. Longcore (eds.). Island Press, Washington.
Wise, S. E., F. D. Verret*, and R. G. Jaeger. 2004. Tail autotomy in territorial salamanders influences scent marking by residents and behavioral responses of intruders to resident chemical cues. Copeia 2004:165-172. https://dx.doi.org/10.1643/CE-02-124R2.
Wise, S. E. and R. G. Jaeger. 1998. The influence of tail autotomy on agonistic behaviour in a territorial salamander. Animal Behaviour 55:1707-1716. https://dx.doi.org/10.1006/anbe.1997.0720.
Fauth, J. E., B. W. Buchanan, S. E. Wise, S. M. Welter*, and M. J. Komoroski. 1996. Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis, coloration. Herpetological Review 27:135.
Lancaster, D. L. and S. E. Wise. 1996. Differential response by the ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus, to odors of tail-autotomizing prey. Herpetologica 52:98-108.
Jaeger, R. G., J. Schwarz*, and S. E. Wise. 1995. Territorial male salamanders have foraging tactics attractive to gravid females. Animal Behaviour 49:633-639. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0003-3472(95)90038-1.
Seaman, J. W., Jr., S. C. Walls, S. E. Wise, and R. G. Jaeger. 1994. Caveat Emptor: Rank transform methods and interaction. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 9:261-263. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0169-5347(94)90292-5.
Wise, S. E., K. S. Siex*, K. M. Brown*, and R. G. Jaeger. 1993. Recognition influences social interactions in red-spotted newts. Journal of Herpetology 27:149-154. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1564930.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 1992. An efficient method for measuring salamanders. Herpetological Review23:56-57.
Jaeger, R. G. and S. E. Wise. 1991. A reexamination of the male salamander "sexy faeces hypothesis". Journal of Herpetology25:370-373. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1564603.
Research Talks (* indicates undergraduate student collaborators, † indicates graduate student collaborators)
Liu*, J., D. Haasbeek*, K. Johnston*, S. Wise, and B. Buchanan. 2018. Growth and development of African Clawed Frog (Xenopus laevis) larvae reared under different intensities of LED light at night. ALAN2018: 5th International Conference on Artificial Light at Night. Snowbird, UT.
Williams*, S., T. Barker*, S. Wise, and Bryant Buchanan. 2018. The effect of artificial light at night (ALAN) on activity patterns of a nocturnal salamander. ALAN2018: 5th International Conference on Artificial Light at Night. Snowbird, UT.
Nariya, H. K.*, R. Zhushma*, S. Wise, B. Buchanan, J. H. Shinn-Thomas. 2017. Investigating the effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) on C. elegans offspring production and lifespan. [Poster.]International C. elegans Meeting, Los Angeles, CA.
Wise, S. E.2016. The impact of artificial light at night on salamander behavior. Houghton College, Houghton, New York. Invited.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2016. Artificial light at night reduces nocturnal activity of red-backed salamanders. [Poster.] Special Highlands Conference on Plethodontid Salamander Biology. Highlands, North Carolina.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2016. Intrusion of artificial light at night into leaf-litter habitats: Implications for activity in a nocturnal salamander. ALAN 2016: 4th International Conference on Artificial Light at Night, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Invited.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2015. Artificial light at night: amphibians at risk. International Dark Sky Association, Phoenix, Arizona. Invited.
Buchanan, B.W., S. E. Wise, and J. Visalli*. 2014. Artificial light at night alters tadpole activity. Symposium: Light pollution: ecological and evolutionary consequences. International Society for Behavioral Ecology (ISBE), New York City. Invited.
Wise S.E., A. B. Pascone†, and B.W. Buchanan. 2014. The impact of light pollution on activity of juvenile salamanders. Symposium: Light pollution: ecological and evolutionary consequences. International Society for Behavioral Ecology (ISBE), New York City. Invited.
Wise, S.E.2013. The effect of artificial night lighting on salamanders. Symposium: Light Pollution in an Urbanized World: Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences. INTECOL (International Congress for Ecology). British Ecological Society, London. Invited.
McCarthy, T.M., B. Buchanan, T. Provost, and S. Wise. 2011. Hormones and hermaphrodites: influences of anthropogenic and environmental stressors on pulmonate snail endocrine systems. Invited symposium as part of conference titled Gastropoda: Biology, Behavior, and Ecology Symposium. 77th Meeting of the American Malacological Society, Pittsburgh, PA. Invited.
Wilczek*, J., A. Rohacek*, S. Wise, B. Buchanan, and A. Pack. 2011. Tactile receptor distribution in the tail of Plethodon cinereus. [Poster.] Neuroscience Meeting, The Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.
Buchanan, B., S. Wise, T. McCarthy, H. Savage*, J. June*, and K. Bingel*. 2010. Artificial night lighting alters growth and development of aquatic snails and frog larvae. Invited symposium as part of conference titled Artificial lights and nature: Challenges for dusk-to-dawn conservation management. International Congress for Conservation Biology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Invited.
McCarthy, T.M., B. Buchanan, T. Provost, and S. Wise. 2010. Nocturnal light pollution and chemical contaminants alter reproductive patterns and hormone concentrations of hermaphroditic freshwater snails. Invited symposium as part of the conference titled Reproduction and mating systems in hermaphroditic molluscs. World Congress of Malacology, Phuket, Thailand. Invited.
Rohacek*, A., B. Buchanan, and S. Wise. 2010. The effects of artificial night lighting on the nocturnal activity of the terrestrial red-backed salamander, Plethodon cinereus [Poster.] International Congress for Conservation Biology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Wise, S.,B. Buchanan, P. Dawes*, J. Racchumi*, and A. Rohacek*. 2010. Impacts of artificial night lighting on the behavior of nocturnal salamanders. Invited symposium as part of conference titled Artificial lights and nature: Challenges for dusk-to-dawn conservation management. International Congress for Conservation Biology, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Invited.
Wise, S. E., Bryant W. Buchanan, and P. Dawes*. 2009. Artificial night lighting alters surface activity of red-backed salamanders. [Poster.] Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Portland, Oregon.
Zbock†, L., S. M. Specht, and S. E. Wise. 2009. Non-specific touch appears to attenuate self-reported anxiety following a quantitative cognitive task. Eastern Psychological Association. Pittsburgh, PA.
Buchanan, B. W., H. Savage*, S. E. Wise, and K. Bingel*. 2008. Artificial night lighting affects anuran larval growth and development. Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists. Montreal, Quebec.
Kirby*, S., A. Pack, S. Wise, and E. Lorraine*. 2008. Tail autotomy, a predator defense mechanism, is a reflex arc in the the red-backed salamander tail. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, D.C.
McCarthy, T. M., J. June*, K. Vo*, T. Provost, S. E. Wise, and B. W. Buchanan. 2008. Artificial night lighting alters behavioral, growth and reproductive patterns of an aquatic hermaphrodite snail. 12th Congress of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology, Ithaca, NY.
Vo*, K., T. M. McCarthy, B. W. Buchanan, and S. E. Wise. 2008. Effect of artificial night lighting and time of day on aquatic snail activity patterns. (Poster.) Northeast Natural History Conference X. The New York State Museum, Albany, NY. Published abstract: Abstracts Northeast Natural History Conference X. N.Y. State Mus. Circ. 71: pp 83. (ISBN: 1-55557-246-4).
Wise, S. E.2007. The impact of artificial night lighting on activity patterns, growth, and development of amphibians. Starlight: International Conference in Defence of the Quality of the Night Sky and the Right to Observe the Stars. La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. Invited. This was an invited international conference that was funded by several international government organizations including UNESCO.
Hirschey†, E. L., S. E. Wise, T. L. Provost. 2007. Polychlorinated biphenyls inhibit pineal n-acetyltransferase activity in mice. (Poster.) Endocrine Society of America, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Perry, G., B. W. Buchanan, R. N. Fisher, M, Salmon, and S. E. Wise. 2006. Effects of artificial night lighting on reptiles and amphibians in urban environments. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, New Orleans, LA.
Buchanan, B. W. and S. E. Wise. 2004. Artificial night lighting alters emergence time in nocturnally active terrestrial salamanders. The Northeast Natural History Conference VIII, The New York State Museum, Albany, NY.
Cooper*, E. T., M. T. Nguyen*, and S. E. Wise. 2004. Variation in territorial behavior of red-backed salamanders from Virginia and New York. (Poster.) The Northeast Natural History Conference VIII, The New York State Museum, Albany, NY.
Jackson*, E. F., B. W. Buchanan, and S. E. Wise. 2004. An evaluation of illumination levels present in the leaf litter habitat of a terrestrial salamander. (Poster.) The Northeast Natural History Conference VIII, The New York State Museum, Albany, NY.
Kenny*, T. L., B. W. Buchanan, and S. E. Wise. 2004. Sound production and social interactions in the red-backed salamander. (Poster.) The Northeast Natural History Conference VIII, The New York State Museum, Albany, NY.
Buchanan, B. W. and S. E. Wise. 2003. The influence of artificial night lighting on the ecology of nocturnal salamanders. Asa Gray Seminar Series, Utica University. Invited.
Wise, S. E.2003. Pine Barrens Research Conference. Brookhaven National Laboratory, Long Island. Artificial lighting as a potential pollutant affecting nocturnal salamanders. Invited.
Wise, S.E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2003. Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA. Amphibians and light pollution. Invited.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2003. Ecology of the Night Symposium, Muskoka Heritage Foundation, Dorset, ON, Canada. The impact of artificial night lighting on the ecology of nocturnal amphibians. Invited.
Walls, S. C. and S. E. Wise.2002. Opening remarks for the Herpetologists’ League, R. G. Jaeger Symposium. Contemporary herpetological research: a tribute to Robert Jaeger as 20-year editor of Herpetologica.
Wise, S. E.2002. The role of non-visual communication in the territorial dynamics of red-backed salamanders. Presentation to The Herpetologists’ League, University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO. Symposium titled Contemporary Herpetological research: A Tribute to Robert Jaeger as 20-year Editor of Herpetologica. The Herpetologists’ League is an international organization of scientists that study amphibians and reptiles. The symposium was organized by Dr. Susan Walls and me.
Wise, S. E. and B. W. Buchanan. 2002. The influence of artificial illumination on the nocturnal behavior and ecology of salamanders. The Urban Wildlands Group and The UCLA Institute of the Environment, Los Angeles, CA. Invited.
Barto*, A. R. and S. E. Wise. 1999. Response of intruders to chemical cues that indicate duration of territorial ownership. Animal Behavior Society, Bucknell University, PA.
Wise, S.E. and D. R. Church†. 1998. Related seasonal and geographic variation in agonistic behavior, testosterone concentrations, and head morphology. Fourth Conference on the Biology of Plethodontid Salamanders. Highlands Biological Station, Highlands, NC.
Lancaster, D. L. and S. E. Wise. 1994. Differential response by the ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus, to odors of tail-autotomizing prey. The Herpetologists' League and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, University of Georgia, Athens.
Souter*, S., E. Graveson*, B. Fontenot*, B. W. Buchanan, and S. E. Wise. 1994. Salamanders are unaffected by rapid shifts in illumination. (Poster.) Midwest Animal Behavior Conference, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Wise, S. E. 1994. Variation in aggression between populations of a territorial salamander. Midwest Animal Behavior Conference, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.
Wise, S. E. and H. M. Wilbur. 1994. The effect of tail autotomy on competition in the red-backed salamander. Ecological Society of America, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Wise, S. E. 1993. The relationship among female size, offspring size, and survival in the red-backed salamander. The Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Wise, S. E., R. G. Jaeger, and F. D. Verret*. 1992. The influence of tail loss on the behavior of territorial salamanders. The Highlands Conference on Plethodontid Salamanders, Highlands Biological Station, Highlands, NC.
Wise, S. E., K. S. Siex*, K. M. Brown*, and R. G. Jaeger. 1992. Recognition influences agonistic interactions in red-spotted newts. (Poster.) American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, The Herpetologists' League, and American Elasmobranch Society, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Jaeger, R. G. and S. E. Wise. 1991. A reexamination of the male "sexy faeces hypothesis". The Herpetologists' League and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Penn State University, University Park.
Verret*, F. D., R. G. Jaeger, and S. E. Wise. 1991. Differential agonistic behaviour of intruding salamanders to substrates marked by tail-autotomized residents. Animal Behaviour Society, University of North Carolina, Wilmington.
Wise, S. E. and R. G. Jaeger. 1991. Asymmetric games of territorial, tail-autotomizing salamanders. The Herpetologists' League and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Penn State University, University Park.
Jaeger, R. G. and S. E. Wise. 1990. Territorial conflicts by tail-autotomized salamanders: resident tactics. Animal Behaviour Society, State University of New York, Binghamton.
Wise, S. E. 1990. Agonistic Behavior is not influenced by prior short-term encounters between male red-backed salamanders. The Herpetologists' League and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.
Wise, S. E. and R. G. Jaeger. 1990. Territorial conflicts by tail-autotomized salamanders: intruder tactics. Animal Behaviour Society, State University of New York, Binghamton.
Courses Taught
BIO101-Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Lab: Utica University
BIO211-General Biology I and lab: Utica University
BIO212L-General Biology II: Utica University
BIO231-Research Methods in Biology I: Utica University
BIO232-Research Methods in Biology II: Utica University
BIO324-Animal Physiology and lab: Utica University
BIO338-Animal Behavior and lab: Utica University
BIO400-Contemporary Biology Seminar: Utica University
BIO/ANB/NEU/PSB450-Senior Research in Biology: Utica University
BIO/ANB/NEU/PSB495-Senior Seminar: Utica University
BIO600-Contemporary topics in biology: Utica University
UCC101-First-year Seminar: Utica University
BIOL579-Field Biology of Amphibians and Fishes (co-taught with B. Buchanan). Summer field course at Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Pembroke, VA.
ZOOL574: Biology of Amphibians (summer field course) at Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Pembroke, VA.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Virgil Crisafulli Distinguished Teaching Award, 2011
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