Professor of Biology
434.544.8362
styrsky.j@lynchburg.edu
Experience
- 2019-present, Professor of Biology, University of Lynchburg
- 2012-2019, Associate Professor of Biology, University of Lynchburg
- 2006-2012, Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Lynchburg
- Doctoral Fellow, Research Center for Ornithology, Max Planck Society, Germany
- Graduate research assistant, Auburn University
- Field biologist, The Nature Conservancy (Texas), Idaho Power Company (Idaho and Oregon), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Idaho and Saskatchewan), USDA Forest Service (Oregon), Welder Wildlife Foundation (Texas)
Education
- BS, Biology – Southwestern University, 1992
- MS, Biology – Illinois State University, 1999
- PhD, Entomology – Auburn University, 2006
Publications
(*Asterisks indicate undergraduate contributors)
- Ledin, A.E.*, Styrsky, J.D., and Styrsky, J.N. 2020. Friend or foe? Orb-weaver spiders inhabiting ant acacias capture both insect herbivores and acacia ant alates. Journal of Insect Science 20:16;1-8.
- J.D. Styrsky. 2014. An orb-weaver spider exploits an ant-acacia mutualism for enemy-free space. Ecology and Evolution 4:276-283.
- Garcia, K.* and J.D. Styrsky. 2013. An orb-weaver spider eludes plant-defending acacia ants by hiding in plain sight. Ecological Entomology 28:230-237.
- Styrsky, J.D. and Eubanks, M.D. 2010. A facultative mutualism between cotton aphids and an invasive ant indirectly benefits plant reproduction. Ecological Entomology 35:190-199.
- Robinson, W.D., Styrsky, J.D., Payne, B.J.*, Harper, R.G., and Thompson, C.F. 2008. Why are incubation periods longer in the tropics? A common-garden experiment reveals it is all in the egg. American Naturalist 171:532-535.
- Styrsky, J.D. and Eubanks, M.D. 2007. Ecological consequences of interactions between ants and honeydew-producing insects. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 274:151-164.
- Styrsky, J.D., Berthold, P., and Robinson, W.D. 2004. Endogenous control of migration and the influence of photoperiod in an intratropical migrant, the yellow-green vireo. Animal Behaviour 67: 1141-1149.
- Styrsky, J.D., Eckerle, K.P., and Thompson, C.F. 1999. Fitness-related consequences of egg mass in nestling house wrens. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 266: 1253-1258.
Professional Affiliations
- American Ornithological Society
- Ecological Society of America
- Entomological Society of America
Teaching Areas
- Introductory Biology (majors and non-majors)
- Animal Biology
- Entomology
- Ornithology
- Ecology
Professional Interests
I am a broadly trained ecologist with interests that range from behavioral ecology to life-history ecology to community ecology. I have worked extensively with both birds and insects. The most recent focus of my work has been on mutualisms. Current work in this area asks questions about the ecological consequences of mutualisms between invasive ants and honeydew-producing hemipterans, and the novel exploitation of a mutualism between Pseudomyrmex ants and their host plant Acacia by orb-weaving spiders. I address research questions experimentally in both greenhouse and field settings. I also strongly value investigations of basic natural history to test and develop ecological theory.