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Greg Adler Ph.D.


Professor of Biology
Founder and CEO of The Tropical Rat Lab
Curwood Professor of Biology, 1999

J. McNaughton Rosebush Distinguished Professor, 2005

Outstanding Teacher, 2006

Phone: (920) 424-3068
Email: adler@uwosh.edu

Academic Training

B.S. in Biology, Washington and Lee University, 1979
Ph.D. in Biology, Boston University, 1986

Positions HeldAdler pic 2

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Boston University, April 1986 to April 1989.
  • Lecturer, Boston University, Metropolitan College, July 1986 to August 1987.
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Population Sciences, July 1987 to July 1990, and Postdoctoral Research
  • Associate in Population Sciences, July 1990 to July 1992 Harvard University, School of Public Health, Department of Population Sciences.
  • Postdoctoral Assistant Specialist, University of California of California – Davis, Department of Zoology, January to March 1988.
  • Visiting Scientist and Associate Professor, Tunghai University (Taichung, Taiwan), Department of Biology, January to June 1990.
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (Panama), October 1990 to December 1993.
  • Visiting Scientist, International Center for Medical Training and Research (Cali, Colombia), October to November 1993.
  • Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Department of Biology and Microbiology, January 1994 to June 1999.
  • Associate Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Department of Biology and Microbiology, July 1999 to June 2004.
  • Professor of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Department of Biology and Microbiology, July 2004 to present.

Research Interests

Tropical forest ecology, seed predation and dispersal, ecology of tropical mammals, ecology of infectious agents.

Recent PublicationsAdler pic 3

  • ADLER, G. H. 2000. Tropical tree diversity, forest structure and the demography of a frugivorous rodent. Journal of Zoology, 250: 57-74.
  • Lambert, T. D., and G. H. ADLER. 2000. Microhabitat use by a tropical forest rodent, Proechimys semispinosus, in central Panama. Journal of Mammalogy, 81: 700-706.
  • Mangan, S. A., and G. H. ADLER. 2000. Consumption of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by terrestrial and arboreal small mammals in a Panamanian cloud forest. Journal of Mammalogy, 81: 563-570.
  • ADLER, G. H., and K. Kielpinski. 2000. Reproductive phenology of a tropical canopy tree, Spondias mombin. Biotropica, 32:686-692.
  • ADLER, G. H. 2000. Rainforest ecosystems, animal diversity. Encyclopedia of biodiversity, 5: 1-11. Academic Press, New York.
  • ADLER, G. H., M. T. Becerra, F. Prado, and B. L. Travi. 2000. Ecology of spiny rats, Proechimys canicollis, in northern Colombia. Mammalia, 64: 145-153.
  • Boyett, W. D., M. E. Endries, and G. H. ADLER. 2000. Colonization and extinction dynamics of opossums on small islands in Panama. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 78: 1972-1979.
  • ADLER, G. H., N. I. Suntsova, V. V. Suntsov, and S. A. Mangan. 2001. Fleas (Siphonaptera) collected from small mammals in southern Viet Nam in 1997-1998. Journal of Medical Entomology, 38: 210-213.
  • Terborgh, J., L. Lopez, P. Nuñez V., M. Rao, G. Shahabuddin, G. Orihuela, M.
  • Riveros, R. Ascanio, G. H. ADLER, T. D. Lambert, and L. Balbas. 2001. Ecological meltdown in predator-free forest fragments. Science, 294: 1923-1926.
  • ADLER, G. H. 2001. La regulación de las poblaciones de mamíferos. Pages 329-344
    in M. R. Guariguata and G. H. Kattan (editors). Ecologia y conservación de bosques neotropicales. Editorial Libro Universitario Regional, San Jose, Costa Rica.
  • Mangan, S. A., and G. H. ADLER. 2002. Seasonal dispersal of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by spiny rats in a Neotropical forest. Oecologia,131: 587-597.
  • Travi, B. L., G. H. ADLER, M. Lozano, H. Cadena, and J. Montoya-Lerma. 2002. Impact of habitat degradation on Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae) of tropical dry forests in northern Colombia, an endemic area of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. Journal of Medical Entomology, 39: 451-456.
  • Travi, B. L., C. Ferro, G. H. ADLER, and J. Montoya-Lerma. 2002. Canine visceral leishmaniasis: dog infectivity to sand flies from non-endemic areas. Research in Veterinary Science, 72: 83-86.
  • Travi, B. L., L. T. Arteaga, A. P. Leon, and G. H. ADLER. 2002. Susceptibility of spiny rats (Proechimys semispinosus) to Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis and Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi. Memorias Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 97: 887-892.
  • McKee, R. C., and G. H. ADLER. 2002. Tail autotomy in the Central American spiny rat, Proechimys semispinosus. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment, 37: 181-185.
  • Lambert, T. D., G. H. ADLER, M. Riveros C., L. Lopez, R. Ascanio, and J. Terborgh. 2002. Rodents on tropical land-bridge islands. Journal of Zoology, 260: 179-187.
  • ADLER, G. H., S. L. Davis, and A. Carvajal. 2003. Bots (Diptera: Oestridae) infesting a Neotropical forest rodent, Proechimys semispinosus (Rodentia: Echimyidae), in Panama. Journal of Parasitology, 89: 693-697.
  • Suntsova, N. I., V. V. Suntsov, J. C. Beaucournu, G. H. ADLER, L. T. V. Huong, and G. V. Kuznetsov. 2003. Notes on biogeography of fleas (Insecta, Siphonaptera) of Vietnam. Pp. 65-83 in Ecological and epizootological aspects of plague in Vietnam. L. P. Korzum and V. V. Suntsov (editors). GEOS, Moscow, Russia.
  • Suntsov, V. V., T. V. H. Ly, and G. H. ADLER. 2003. Distribution of rodents along a gradient of disturbance on the Tay Nguyen Plateau of southern Viet Nam. Mammalia, 67: 379-383.
  • ADLER, G. H., M. T. Becerra, and B. L. Travi. 2003. Feeding success of Lutzomyia evansi (Diptera: Psychodidae) on small mammal hosts in an endemic focus of Leishmania chagasi in northern Colombia. Biomedica, 23: 396-400.
  • Hoey, K. A., R. R. Wise, and G. H. ADLER. 2004. Ultrastructure of echimyid and murid rodent spines. Journal of Zoology, 263: 307-315.
  • Mangan, S. A., A.-H. Eom, G. H. ADLER, J. B. Yavitt, and E. A. Herre. 2004. Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi across a fragmented forest in Panama: insular spore communities differ from mainland communities. Oecologia, 141: 687-700.
  • Endries, M. E., and G. H. ADLER. 2004. Spacing patterns of a tropical forest rodent, the spiny rat (Proechimys semispinosus), in Panama. Journal of Zoology, 265: 147-155.
  • Carvajal, A., and G. H. ADLER. 2005. Biogeography of mammals on tropical Pacific islands. Journal of Biogeography, 32: 1561-1569.
  • ADLER, G. H., A. Carvajal, S. W. Brewer, and S. L. Davis. 2006. First record of Didelphis albiventris (Didelphimorphia: Didelphidae) from Paracou, French Guiana. Mammalia, 2006: 319-320.
  • ADLER, G. H., and T. D. Lambert. 2008. Spatial and temporal variation in fruiting phenology of two species of palms in isolated stands. Plant Species Biology, 23: 9-17.
  • Oaks, J. R., J. M. Daul, and G. H. ADLER. 2008. Life span of a tropical forest rodent, Proechimys semispinosus. Journal of Mammalogy, 89: 904-908.
  • ADLER, G. H. 2008. Resource limitation of insular animals: causes and consequences. Pages 322-333 in W. Carson and S. Schnitzer, Tropical Forest Ecology. Blackwell.
  • Carvajal, A., and G. H. ADLER. 2008. Seed dispersal and predation by Proechimys semispinosus and Sciurus granatensis in gaps and understorey in central Panama. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 24: 485-492.
  • Flagel, D., G. H. ADLER, and T. D. Lambert. 2009. Influence of seed height on removal rates by rodents in central Panama. Mammalia, 73: 76-77.
  • Kilgore, A., T. D. Lambert, and G. H. ADLER. 2009. Lianas influence fruit and seed use by rodents in a tropical forest. Tropical Ecology, 51:265-271.
    86. ADLER, G. H. 2010. Spacing patterns and social mating systems of echimyid rodents. Journal of Mammalogy, 92: 31-38.
  • Lambert, T. D., M. K. Halsey, J. W. Dittel, S. A. Mangan, E. Delfosse, G. H. ADLER, and S. A. Schnitzer. 2010. First record of Alston’s woolly mouse opossum (Micoureus alstoni) from the canal area of central Panama. Mammalia, 75: 107-109.

Graduated Master’s Studentsadler pic 4

Donna M. Charley. 1996. Density dependence in the tropics: a statistical analysis of Proechimys semispinosus (spiny rats) populations.

Current position: Senior Lecturer, University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh, Department of Biology and Microbiology, Oshkosh, WI.

Kelley A. Hoey. 1999. External spine morphology of the genus Proechimys (Rodentia: Echimyidae) as revealed by scanning electron microscopy.

Current position: Electron microscopist, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, MN.

Thomas D. Lambert. 1999. The effects of tropical forest fragmentation on rodent community structure.
Ph.D., University of Toronto.

Current position: Assistant Professor, Frostburg State University, Department of Biology, Frostburg, MD.

Scott A. Mangan. 1999. The consumption of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi by Neotropical rodents.
Ph.D., Indiana University

Current position: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Department of Biology, Milwaukee, WI.

Mark J. Endries. 2000. Modeling spacing patterns of a tropical forest rodent using radiotelemetry and geographic information systems (GIS).

Current position: Geographical Information Systems Specialist, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Asheville Ecological Services Field Office, Asheville, NC.

Shannon L. Davis. 2001. Environmental variation and the demography of a tropical forest rodent.

Current positions: Ph.D. candidate, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Department of Biology, Milwaukee, WI, and Lecturer, Department of Biology and Department of Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin –Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI.

William D. Boyett. 2001. Habitat relations of rodents in the Hualapai Mountains of northwestern Arizona.
Michael J. Lohre. 2003. Habitat associations of the whip-poor-will (Caprimulgus vociferus) in central Wisconsin: implications for conservation.
Alejandra Carvajal. 2006. Seed dispersal and predation by Neotropical forest rodents.

Current Master’s Students

Joshua Demski. Habitat associations of two color morphs of the red-backed salamander in northern Wisconsin.
Jacob W. Dittel. The role of rodents in affecting forest regeneration: seed dispersal and seed predation.
Annette Ireland. Helminth parasitism in relation to the demography of a Neotropical forest rodent.
Julie Widholm. Thermoregulation and habitat preference in two species of tropical rodents.
Ashley M. Winker. Parasite loads of two species of Neotropical forest rodents in relation to microhabitat structure.