DeeAnn Reeder

"Bucknell has been incredibly supportive of my research, both my work in ecophysiology and in mammalian taxonomy."

Assistant professor of biology

DeeAnn Reeder, assistant professor of biology, says bats are unlike any other mammals.

She calls them "mammals on the edge" because they are the only mammals that truly fly, making them ecologically and physiologically distinct. "If you want to study a process, you need to choose an animal model that provides a good example. I am interested in how animals adapt to changes in the world around them and bats do that very, very well," says Reeder.

For the past two years, Reeder's research has focused almost exclusively on White-nose syndrome, which is an emerging infectious disease that was described in hibernating bats in the winter of 2006-2007. It was discovered by a state wildlife biologist and cavers in the state of New York and since then has spread throughout New England and into the Mid-Atlantic states. It is estimated that over one million bats have died of white-nose syndrome thus far, and Reeder and her students are examining multiple aspects of this disease, including potential treatments. Her work has been featured extensively in media across the country, including most recently in The Sacramento Bee and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Reeder also is an internationally-recognized taxonomist. Her book, "Mammal Species of the World," edited with Don E. Wilson from the Smithsonian Institution, is the world standard resource for taxonomic relationships among mammals.

"Bucknell has been incredibly supportive of my research, both my work in ecophysiology and in mammalian taxonomy. Bucknell has even built a database for the storage of the taxonomic data that is available through the Bucknell Web site and gets 5,000 hits a day," says Reeder.

Reeder also is involved in an international project with scientific and humanitarian aspects. She'll travel to Sudan in 2010 with her family and Bucknell students to survey local bat populations and attitudes toward wildlife and bring money and resources to local orphanages.

Teaching areas

Comparative physiology
Mammalogy
Behavioral neuroendocrinology
Organismal biology

Research interests

Comparative behavior and physiology in mammals
Stress responsiveness in nature
Mammalian systematics and biodiversity

Recent publications

D. M. Reeder and E. P. Widmaier.2009. Hormone Analysis. P. 554-563, Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats. Second Edition. T. H. Kunz and S. Parsons (eds). The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Md.

G. G. Turnerand D. M. Reeder. 2009.Update of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats, September 2009. Bat Research News, 50(3), 47-53.

K. N. Weaver, S. E. Alfano, A. R. Kronquist, and D. M. Reeder. 2009. Healing rates of wing punch wounds in free-ranging little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus). Acta Chiropterologica, 11:220-223.

D. M. Reeder and G. R. [G. G.] Turner. 2008. Working together to combat 'White-Nose Syndrome' in Northeastern U.S. bats; a report of the June 2008 meeting on White-Nose Syndrome held in Albany, N.Y. Bat Research News, 49(3), 75-78.

B. L. Pearson, P. G. Judge, D. M. Reeder. 2008. Effectiveness of saliva collection and enzyme-immunoassay for the quantification of cortisol in socially-housed baboons. American Journal of Primatology, 70, 1-7.