Todd Pierson — photo by Matt Yung

This article by Dave Shelles was first published on the Kennesaw State University website, republished with permission.

A Kennesaw State University researcher recently earned a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study the evolution of salamanders’ behavioral habits in urban streams, which will in turn fund more undergraduate research opportunities for KSU students.

Assistant professor of biology Todd Pierson has received a three-year, $380,238 grant from the NSF through a program called Building Research Capacity in Biology (BRC-BIO). The program is designed to broaden research participation at minority-serving universities and Carnegie-designated R2 institutions like KSU.

“At KSU we have nearly 48,000 students, and tons of them are interested in doing research,” said Pierson, who teaches in the College of Science and Mathematics. “This study will consist of a team research class of about 15 students each fall so that they’re getting something that’s a more authentic, full research experience. That’s the goal.”

Pierson joined KSU’s Department of Ecological, Evolutionary and Organismal Biology in 2020, bringing with him expertise in salamanders. These tiny amphibians can found by the thousands in Atlanta-area waterways and provide examples in genetic and behavioral variation in a relatively small geographical area.

“Even within a species, every individual looks and acts differently, and some of the most interesting questions in evolutionary biology have to do with where that variation comes from, and how it persists in a population,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to trace because traits have many genetic components related, and a bunch of environmental variables that affect it. But in other cases, we have a relatively straightforward genetic determinant of these traits, and we can trace it and better understand how it changes across time and space.”

The study focuses on the two-lined salamanders, an ecologically crucial amphibian commonly found in Atlanta-area waterways. This species has two kinds of males—a male that seeks out mates on land and a male that guards mates in the water—and Pierson said his researchers will survey several streams and creeks around Atlanta to determine the proportions of each kind of male relative to the total population.

The Pierson lab seeks answers to key questions, including the evolutionary history of salamanders, the reproductive behavior of salamanders, and the conservation of salamanders and their habitat. The study will take into account factors such as stream size, water temperature, and the presence of pollutants among other things. In other words, it will create a true experience in field research for undergraduate students.

“For these students, the whole function of their semester-long class is to conduct a research project together,” he said. “The students will have autonomy and creativity in determining the course of their studies, which is what we try to do at KSU.”