Warren Abrahamson

Biology Department

Contact Information
Biology Building 308
abrahmsn@bucknell.edu
570-577-1155

Links
Abrahamson Web Page

Educational Background
B.S., University of Michigan
M.S., Harvard University
Ph.D., Harvard University

Teaching Interests
Population and Community Biology, Plant-animal interactions, Plant Systematics, Organic Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Population and Community Biology is an introduction to ecology and evolution and is a part of the Biology Department CORE curriculum. The plant-animal interactions course surveys mutualisms, anatagonisms, and commensalisms while stressing field-based, multi-week projects that emphasize pollination biology, herbivore-plant interactions, biotic fruit dispersal, and the ecology of carnivorous plants. The plant systematics course examines systematic theory including cladistics. The laboratory is strongly based in the field and focuses on the Pennsylvania flora. Organic Evolution covers the principles and mechanisms of evolution in plants and animals including population phenomena, speciation, life history strategies, and adaptation. Conservation Biology is a senior capstone course that examines the elements of demography, genetics, economics, and ethics.

Course Web Pages
BIOL 208 Population and Community Biology
BIOL 330 Plant Systematics
ANBE/BIOL 356 Plant-Animal Interactions
BIOL 415 Conservation Biology

Research Interests
Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology. Specifically, plant-insect interactions of three trophic-level interactions using goldenrods, ball gall insects, and natural enemies as well as oaks and cynipid gall insects, speciation of phytophagous insects; the ecology of fire in Florida's upland scrub communities; conservation studies of local natural areas.

Selected Publications

As of 1 Jan 2009, Dr. Abrahamson has published 144 publications with the following co-authorship: 28% with undergraduates, 18% with graduate students, and 51% with Postdoctoral Fellows

*Denotes Student Author

Dorchin, N., S.D. Jordan, E.R. Scott*, C.E. Clarkin*, M.P. Luongo*, and W.G. Abrahamson. In Press. Behavioral, ecological and genetic evidence confirm the occurrence of host races in goldenrod gall midges. Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

Wise, M.J., C.G. Yi*, and W.G. Abrahamson. In Press. Associational resistance, gall-fly preferences, and a stem dimorphism in Solidago altissima. Acta Oecologica.

Abrahamson, W.G. and C.R. Abrahamson. In Press. Life in the slow lane: palmetto seedlings exhibit remarkable survival but slow growth in Florida’s nutrient-poor uplands. Castanea.

Whipple, A.V., W.G. Abrahamson, M. Khamiss*, P. Heinrich, A. Urian*, and E.M. Northridge*. In Press. Host-race formation: promoted by phenology, constrained by heritability. Journal of Evolutionary Biology.

Melika, G. and W.G. Abrahamson. In Press. Biodiversity and biogeography of oak gall inducing cynipid wasps. In: G. Stone, ed. Galls of oak trees. Ray Society, London, UK.

Wise, M.J. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2008. Ducking as a means of resistance to herbivory in tall goldenrod, Solidago altissima. Ecology 89: 3275–3281.

Wise, M.J. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2008. Applying the limiting resource model to plant tolerance of
apical meristem damage. American Naturalist 172: 635-647.

Abrahamson, W.G. and M.R. Weaver. 2008. EcoSampler: a learning object for community sampling, community structure, and succession. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America: 89: 435-447. http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/biology/courses/biol208/EcoSampler/

Wise, M.J., L.E. Coffey*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2008. Nutrient stress and gall flies interact to affect floral-sex ratio in gynomonoecious Solidago altissima (Asteraceae). American Journal of Botany 95: 1233–1239.

Diamond, S.E.*, C.P. Blair, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2008. Testing the nutrition hypothesis for the adaptive nature of insect galls: does a non-adapted herbivore perform better in galls? Ecological Entomology 33: 385-393.

Tooker, J.F., J.R. Rohr, W.G. Abrahamson, and C.M. De Moraes. 2008. Gall insects can evade and alter indirect plant defenses. New Phytologist 178: 657–671.

Wise, M.J., J.M. Partelow*, K.J. Everson*, M.K. Anselmo*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2008. Good mothers, bad mothers, and resistance to herbivory in Solidago altissima. Oecologia 155: 257-266.

Abrahamson, W.G. and C.P. Blair. 2008. Sequential radiation through host-race formation: herbivore diversity leads to diversity in natural enemies. In: K. Tilmon, ed. Specialization, Speciation, and Radiation: the Evolutionary Biology of Herbivorous Insects. University of California Press, USA, pp. 188-202.

Abrahamson, W.G. 2007. Leaf traits and leaf-life spans of two xeric-adapted palmettos. American Journal of Botany 94: 1297-1308.

Dorchin, N., C.E. Clarkin*, E.R. Scott*, M.P. Luongo*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2007. Taxonomy, life history, and population sex ratios of North American Dasineura (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on goldenrods (Asteraceae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100: 539-548.

Stevens, L.E., T.L. Griswold*, O. Messenger*, W.G. Abrahamson, and T.J. Ayers. 2007. Plant and pollinator diversity in northern Arizona. The Plant Press 31: 5-7.

Melika, G. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2007. Review of the Nearctic gallwasp species of the genus Bassettia Ashmead, 1887, with description of new species (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini). Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 53: 131-148.

Wise, M.J. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2007. Effects of resource availability on tolerance of herbivory: a review and assessment of three opposing models. American Naturalist 169: 443-454.

Wise, M.J., W.G. Abrahamson, and K. Landis*. 2006. Edaphic environment, gall midges, and goldenrod clonal expansion in a mid-successional old field. Acta Oecologica 30: 365-373.

Layne, J.N. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2006. Scrub hickory: a Florida endemic. Palmetto 23(2): 4-13.

Abrahamson, W.G. and C.R. Abrahamson. 2006. Post-fire canopy recovery in two fire-adapted palms, Serenoa repens and Sabal etonia (Arecaceae). Florida Scientist 69: 69-79.

Dorchin, N., E.R. Scott*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2006. First record of Macrolabis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in America: a new inquiline species from Dasineura folliculi galls on goldenrods. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 99: 656-661.

Wise, M.J., R.J. Fox*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2006. Disarming the paradox of sublethal-plant defense against insects: Trirhabda virgata larval development time and leaf tissue loss on Solidago altissima. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 120: 77-87.

Ketterer, E.* and W.G. Abrahamson. 2006. Purple loosestrife on the Susquehanna River’s West Branch: distribution and environmental correlates. Northeastern Naturalist 13: 213-234.

Wise, M.J., D.L. Kieffer*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2006. Costs and benefits of gregarious feeding in the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius. Ecological Entomology 31: 548-555.

Abrahamson, W.G., K. Ball Dobley*, H.R. Houseknecht*, and C.A. Pecone*. 2005. Ecological divergence among five co-occurring species of old-field goldenrods. Plant Ecology 177: 43-56.

Blair, C.P.*, W.G. Abrahamson, J.A. Jackman, and L. Tyrrell*. 2005. Cryptic speciation and host-race formation in a purportedly generalist tumbling flower beetle. Evolution 59: 304-316.

Wise, M.J. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2005. Beyond the compensatory continuum: environmental resource levels and plant tolerance of herbivory. Oikos 109: 417-428.

Abrahamson, W.G. 2004. Insects raise some galling questions. New England Wild Flower Conservation Notes 8: 14-15.

Abrahamson, W.G. and A.C. Gohn*. 2004. Classification and successional changes of mixed-oak forests at the Mohn Mill area, Pennsylvania. Castanea 69: 194-206.

Layne, J.N. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2004. Long-term trends in annual reproductive output of the scrub hickory: factors influencing variation in size of nut crop. American Journal of Botany 91: 1378-1386.

Price, P.W., W.G. Abrahamson, M.D. Hunter, and G. Melika. 2004. Testing broad ecological concepts on a narrow range of species. Conservation Biology 18: 1405-1416.

Eubanks, M.D., C.P. Blair, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2003. One host shift leads to another? Evidence of host-race formation in a predaceous gall-boring beetle. Evolution 57: 168-172.

Abrahamson, W.G., M.D. Hunter, G. Melika, and P.W. Price. 2003. Cynipid gall-wasp communities correlate with oak chemistry. Journal of Chemical Ecology 29: 209-223.

Zawadzkas, P.P.* and W.G. Abrahamson. 2003. Forest composition, spatial pattern, and size structure of the Snyder-Middleswarth Natural Area old-growth, Snyder County, Pennsylvania. Castanea 68: 31-42.

Abrahamson, W.G., C.P. Blair*, M.D. Eubanks, and S.A. Morehead. 2003. Sequential radiation of unrelated organisms: the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis and the tumbling flower beetle Mordellistena convicta. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 16: 781-789.

Abrahamson, W.G. and J.N. Layne. 2003. Long-term patterns of acorn production for five oak species in xeric Florida uplands. Ecology 84: 2476-2492.

Abrahamson, W.G. and J.N. Layne. 2002. Post-fire recovery of acorn production by four oak species in southern ridge sandhill association in south-central Florida. American Journal of Botany 89: 119-123.

Abrahamson, W.G. and J.N. Layne. 2002. Relation of ramet size to acorn production in five oak species of xeric upland habitats in south-central Florida. American Journal of Botany 89: 124-131.

Johnson, A.F. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2002. Stem turnover in the clonal scrub oak, Quercus inopina. American Midland Naturalist 147: 237-246.

Abrahamson, W.G. and C.R. Abrahamson. 2002. Persistent palmettos: effects of the 2000-2001 drought on Serenoa repens and Sabal etonia. Florida Scientist 65: 281-292.

Melika, G. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2002. Review of the world genera of oak cynipid wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini). In: G. Melika and Cs. Thuróczy, eds. Parasitic Wasps: Evolution, Systematics, Biodiversity and Biological Control. Agroinform, Budapest, Hungary, pp. 150-190.

Cronin, J.T., K. Hyland*, and W.G. Abrahamson. 2001. The pattern, rate, and range of within-patch movement of a stem-galling fly. Ecological Entomology 26: 16-24.

Cronin, J.T. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2001. Goldenrod stem galler preference and performance: effects of multiple herbivores and plant genotypes. Oecologia 127: 87-96.

Heinrich, P., W.G. Abrahamson, A.V. Whipple, and W.G. Goodenow. 2001. The goldenrod and the gallfly: evolution of an interaction. 36-min video. The Pennsylvania State Media Sales, University Park, PA.

Cronin, J.T., W.G. Abrahamson, and T.P. Craig. 2001. Temporal variation in herbivore host-plant preference and offspring performance: constraints on host-plant adaptation. Oikos 93: 312-320.

Cronin, J.T. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2001. Do parasitoids diversify in response to host-plant shifts by herbivorous insects? Ecological Entomology 26: 347-355.

Abrahamson, W.G., M.D. Eubanks, C.P. Blair, and A.V. Whipple. 2001. Gall flies, inquilines, and goldenrods: a model for host-race formation and sympatric speciation. American Zoologist 41: 928-938.

Melika, G. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2000. Review of the cynipid gall wasps of the genus Loxaulus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) with descriptions of new species. Proceeding of the Entomological Society of Washington 102: 198-211.

Sumerford, D.V.*, W.G. Abrahamson, and A.E. Weis. 2000. The effects of drought in the Solidago altissima - Eurosta solidaginis - natural enemy complex: population dynamics, local extirpations, and measures of selection intensity of gall size. Oecologia 122: 240-248.

Craig, T. P., J. K. Itami, C. Shantz*, W. G. Abrahamson, J. D. Horner, and J. V. Craig. 2000. The influence of host plant variation and intraspecific competition on oviposition preference and offspring performance in host races of Eurosta solidaginis. Ecological Entomology 25: 7-18.

Melika, G. and W.G. Abrahamson. 2000. Historical review and current state of the world generic classification of oak galls (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini). In A. D. Austin and M. Dowton, eds. Hymenoptera: Evolution, Biodiversity and Biological Control. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood VIC Australia, pp. 218-230.