Ellen D. Ketterson is an American evolutionary biologist,

behavioral ecologist Behavioral ecology, also spelled behavioural ecology, is the study of the evolutionary basis for ethology, animal behavior due to ecology, ecological pressures. Behavioral ecology emerged from ethology after Niko Tinbergen outlined Tinbergen's f ...

neuroendocrinologist Neuroendocrinology is the branch of biology (specifically of physiology) which studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system; i.e. how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body. The nervous and endocrine ...

and

ornithologist Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

best known for her experimental approach to the study of life-history trade-offs in a songbird, the

Dark-eyed Junco The dark-eyed junco (''Junco hyemalis'') is a species of junco, a group of small, grayish New World sparrows. The species is common across much of temperate North America and in summer it ranges far into the Arctic. It is a variable species, much ...

. She is currently a Distinguished Professor of Biology, Director of the Environmental Resilience Institute, and affiliate professor in Cognitive Science, Gender Studies, Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, and Neuroscience at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

Education and career

Ketterson obtained all of her degrees from

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

. She earned an A.B. in 1966 and an M.A. in 1968, both in

Botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

. She received her Ph.D. in 1974 in

Zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

. After receiving her doctoral degree, Ketterson was a postdoctoral scholar from 1974 to 1975 at

Washington State University Washington State University (WSU, or colloquially Wazzu) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Pullman, Washington, United States. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest Land-grant uni ...

working with avian environmental physiologist James R. King. She was an assistant professor at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

from 1975 to 1977 before joining the faculty in the Department of Biology at

in 1977. Ketterson was appointed as a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Indiana University in 2006. She was also appointed as an affiliated faculty member of the Gender Studies department in 2003 and as a program faculty member of the Cognitive Science department in 2006 at Indiana University. Ketterson co-founded th
Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior
at Indiana University and served as the co-director from 1990 to 2002. Ketterson has been a senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender, and Reproduction at Indiana University since 2007. Since 2017, Ketterson has served as the director of th
Environmental Resilience Institute
at Indiana University, which aims to predict impacts of environmental change and develop solutions to prepare

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

businesses, farmers, communities and individuals for those impacts. In 2004, Ketterson received a

Guggenheim fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

to study plumage variation in

junco A junco (), genus ''Junco'', is a small North American bird in the New World sparrow family Passerellidae. Junco systematics are still confusing after decades of research, with various authors accepting between three and twelve species. Desp ...

species across North and Central America. Ketterson served as the president of the

American Society of Naturalists The American Society of Naturalists (ASN) was founded in 1883 and is one of the oldest professional societies dedicated to the biological sciences in North America. The purpose of the Society is "to advance and diffuse knowledge of organic evoluti ...

in 2015. She has also won several major awards recognizing her career achievements in ornithology, including the

American Ornithological Society The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

Elliott Couse Award (1996),

Wilson Ornithological Society The Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS) is an ornithological organization that was formally established in 1886 as the Wilson Ornithological Chapter of the Agassiz Association. It is based at the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann A ...

Margaret Morse Nice Medal The Margaret Morse Nice Medal is an ornithological award made annually by the Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS). It was established in 1997 and named in honour of ornithologist Margaret Morse Nice (1883–1974). The medal recipient is expecte ...

(awarded jointly with Val Nolan, Jr. in 1998), and the Alden Miller Award from the

Cooper Ornithological Society The Cooper Ornithological Society (COS), formerly the Cooper Ornithological Club, was an American ornithological society. It was founded in 1893 in California and operated until 2016. Its name commemorated James Graham Cooper, an early California ...

(2014). She is also a Fellow of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

and the

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

Research

Ketterson and her trainees, with her longtime collaborator and partner Val Nolan, Jr., have conducted long-term field studies combined with experimental manipulation of free-living

dark-eyed junco The dark-eyed junco (''Junco hyemalis'') is a species of junco, a group of small, grayish New World sparrows. The species is common across much of temperate North America and in summer it ranges far into the Arctic. It is a variable species, much ...

s at the Mountain Lake Biological Station in Virginia since the 1970s. Early in her career, Ketterson focused on differential migration, a pattern of movement in which females migrate farther than males. Ketterson developed the experimental approach of manipulating levels of the hormone

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

in free-living birds and comparing behavior, physiology, and fitness to controls in order to study the evolution of life history trade-offs. She coined the term ‘phenotypic engineering’ to describe this approach. Ketterson's research showed that experimentally-elevated levels of

increased male aggression, reduced parental care, and increased singing in males. In addition, males given exogenous testosterone were preferred by females in

mate choice Mate choice is one of the primary mechanisms under which evolution can occur. It is characterized by a "selective response by animals to particular stimuli" which can be observed as behavior.Bateson, Paul Patrick Gordon. "Mate Choice." Mate Choi ...

tests. They also exhibited higher reproductive success as a result of extra-pair fertilizations despite lower success of broods that they parent. However, she also found that testosterone-treated males had shorter life spans and reduced

immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...

function. Her research has provided a mechanistic understanding of the fitness consequences of how animals allocate time and energy to competing demands (i.e. reproduction versus survival). Later, her work explored whether

hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "setting in motion") is a class of cell signaling, signaling molecules in multicellular organisms that are sent to distant organs or tissues by complex biological processes to regulate physio ...

s, which affect multiple target tissues simultaneously and mediate coordinated suites of traits, either constrain or potentiate adaptation. This work foreshadowed her interest in addressing limits to organisms' ability to respond to environmental change and the role of hormonally-mediated seasonal timing of behaviors (like reproduction,

molt In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is a process by which an animal casts off parts of its body to serve some beneficial purpose, either at ...

, and migration) in the generation and loss of

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

. As the director of th
Environmental Resilience Institute
she leads a team of

researchers to prepare the

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate; however, "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 ...

state for the effects of on-going environmental change. The Ketterson research group currently conducts field research at a number of sites throughout the range of

species, including in Indiana at Kent Farm on the Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve, in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia at the Mountain Lakes Biological Station, in California on the

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...

campus and at Laguna Mountain, in northwest Wyoming at

Grand Teton National Park Grand Teton National Park is a national park of the United States in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately , the park includes the major peaks of the Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. G ...

, Idaho, South Dakota, Mexico, and Guatemala. The 2013 documentary film project,
Ordinary Extraordinary Junco: Remarkable Biology from a Backyard Bird
highlights years of research conducted by Ketterson and her colleagues.

Personal life

Ketterson was married for 28 years to the ornithologist Val Nolan, Jr., her Ph.D. mentor and long-time collaborator, until his death in 2008.

Awards and recognition

*Fellow of the

American Ornithologists’ Union The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithology, ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological S ...

, elected 1988 *Member of

International Ornithological Committee The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) is an international organization for the promotion of ornithology. It links basic and applied research and nurtures education and outreach activities. Specifically, the IOU organizes and funds global co ...

, elected 1990 *Fellow of the Animal Behavior Society, elected 1994 *

Elliott Couse Award, 1996 *

(awarded jointly to both her and Van Nolan, Jr.), 1998 *Animal Behavior Society Exemplar Award, 2003 *John Simon

Guggenheim fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...

, 2004 *Fellow of the

, elected 2009 *Fellow of the

, elected 2014 *Animal Behavior Society, Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Award, 2018

Media

*Interviewed o
Big Biology podcast
in 2020

Publications

*Kimmitt, A.A., Sinkiewicz, D.M., Ketterson E.D. (2020). Seasonally sympatric songbirds that differ in migratory strategy also differ in neuroendocrine measures. General and Comparative Endocrinology 285, 113250. *Whittaker, D.J., Slowinski, S.P., Greenberg, J.P., Alian O., Winters A.D., Ahmad M.M., Burrell M.J.E., Soini H.A., Novotny M.V., Ketterson, E.D., Theis, K.R. (2019). Experimental evidence that symbiotic bacteria produce chemical cues in a songbird. Journal of Experimental Biology 222 (20), jeb202978. *Kimmitt, A.A., Hardman, J.W., Stricker, C.A., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Migratory strategy explains differences in timing of female reproductive development in seasonally sympatric songbirds. Functional Ecology 33 (9), 1651–1662. *Reed, S.M., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Breeding Latitude and Annual Cycle Timing in a Songbird. IU Journal of Undergraduate Research. *Liebgold, E.B., Gerlach, N.M., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Density‐dependent fitness, not dispersal movements, drives temporal variation in spatial genetic structure in dark‐eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). Molecular Ecology 28 (5), 968–979. *Singh, D., Reed, S.R., Kimmitt, A.A., Alford, K.A., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Breeding at higher latitude as measured by stable isotope is associated with higher photoperiod threshold and delayed reproductive development in a songbird. bioRxiv, 789008. *Reichard, D.G., Atwell, J.W., Pandit, M.M., Cardoso, G.C., Price, T.D., Ketterson, E.D. (2019). Urban birdsongs: higher minimum song frequency of an urban colonist persists in a common garden experiment. bioRxiv, 761734. *Graham, J.L., Bauer, C.M., Heidinger, B.J., Ketterson, E.D., Greives, T.J. (2019) Early‐breeding females experience greater telomere loss. Molecular Ecology 28 (1), 114–126. *Needham, K.B., Bergeon Burns, C., Graham, J.L., Bauer, C.M., Kittilson, J.D., Ketterson, E.D., Hahn, T., Greives, T.J., (2019). Changes in processes downstream of the hypothalamus are associated with seasonal follicle development in a songbird, the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). General and Comparative Endocrinology 270, 103–112.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ketterson, Ellen Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American biologists Indiana University faculty Washington State University alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Presidents of the American Society of Naturalists