With natural habitats and populations becoming increasingly fragmented by human activities, it is critical to understand the factors that maintain or erode genetic diversity. My research integrates approaches and insights from evolutionary and behavioural ecology, ecophysiology, and ecological immunology to develop hypotheses about the roles of infectious disease and sexual selection in maintaining genetic variation in the wild.
To accomplish these goals, my students and I use cutting-edge immune and genetic assays combined with intensive fieldwork on songbirds. Much of our research centres around a long term study population of song sparrows, breeding near the Queen's University Biological Station. We also benefit from the unique facilities at Western's Advanced Facility for Avian Research.
Professor, Department of Biology
Office: Biological & Geological Sciences 3046. (519) 661-2111 x 81206Lab: Biological & Geological Sciences 3059emacdoug@uwo.caTwitter: @Beth_macshack
May 2020: Congratulations to Chris Posliff on defending his MSc!
Apr 2020: Congratulations to Dr. Leanne Grieves on defending her PhD!
Spring 2019: Congratulations to Dr. Tosha Kelly on defending her PhD!
Dec 2018: The lab welcomes Dr. Leticia De Souza Soares, our new PDF (joint with Guglielmo lab)!
Sept 2018: Welcome to Becca Howe, new MSc student (joint with Guglielmo lab)!
June 2018: Paper by Rachel Boyd and Tosha Kelly accepted at Biology Letters!
June 2018: Paper by Leanne Grieves and Tosha Kelly, now out in Auk!
June 2018: Paper on toll-like receptors in song sparrows, now out in J Heredity!
May 2018: Check out the sweet cover photo on JEZ-A! Congratulations Tosha Kelly!
May 2018: Tosha Kelly accepts postdoctoral position with Dr. Christine Lattin, LSU! Next step, putting the final touches on that dissertation!
May 2018: Leanne Grieves wins Best Standard Talk & Rachel Boyd is runner-up for Best Lightning Talk at Ontario Ethology, Ecology, Evolution Conference (OE3C)!
May 2018: Vanier Scholar Leanne Grieves awarded Gilles Brassard Prize for Interdisciplinary Research!
Apr 2018: Congratulations and welcome to USRA recipient Melanie DeNomme!
Mar 2018: Paper by Tosha Kelly published in J Exp Zool-A.
Feb 2018: Flawless PhD defence by Dr. Joel Slade! #TeamParasitologyDiva #TeamMHC #ReadThisThesis
Jan 2018: Tosha Kelly wins Best Student Presentation at SICB San-Fran, Division of Ecoimmunology and Disease Ecology. Congratulations! Joel Slade, Leanne Grieves and Beth Mac-Shack also repped the lab, giving talks and enjoying the nightlife.
Jan 2018: Welcome to Chris Posliff, new Masters' student in the Mac-Shack lab!
Fall 2017: Joel Slade selected as finalist for SICB's inaugural Marlene Zuk Award (Division of Animal Behavior).
Summer 2017: Leanne Grieves receives Western Biology's Laudenbach Award
Scholarship news: Leanne Grieves awarded Vanier CGS; Tosha Kelly awarded Ontario Graduate Scholarship
Grant news: Mac-Shack lab awarded NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement
Spring 2017: Leanne Grieves wins Animal Behaviour Society Student Research Grant
Spring 2017: Tosha Kelly wins Western Biology's Lumsden Award
Spring 2017: Joel Slade wins Animal Behaviour Society Conference Travel Grant
Feb 2017: Matt Watson successfully defends his MSc thesis
Dec 2016: Paper by Joel Slade and Yani Sarquis-Adamson published in Journal of Heredity
Nov 2016: Paper by Joel Slade, Matt Watson and Tosha Kelly published in Proceedings B
Oct 2016: Western nominates Leanne Grieves for a Vanier Scholarship
Sept 2016: Paper by Alannah Lymburner and Tosha Kelly published in Hormones & Behavior
Aug 2016: Paper by Yani Sarquis-Adamson published in Royal Society Open Science
July 2016: Paper by Tosha Kelly, Heather MacGillivray, Yani Sarquis-Adamson and Matt Watson published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology #TeamTeamwork
July 2016: Tosha Kelly successfully completes her comprehensive exam
May 2016: Mac-Shack Lab hits the CJZ 2016 conference in glamorous London, and Joel Slade wins the C. Lindsey Prize in E&E
Apr 2016: Tosha Kelly wins Student Research Grant from the Animal Behaviour Society
Apr 2016: Leanne Grieves and Joel Slade win OGS awards #TeamMHC
Mar 2016: Mac-Shack Lab successfully escapes the creepy Cabin in the Woods! Whew!
Feb 2016: Mac-Shack Lab successfully escapes the zombie pandemic Escape Room
Feb 2016: Ricki Lovett and Yani Sarquis-Adamson successfully defend their MSc and PhD theses! #TeamParasitologyDiva
Jan 2016: Welcome to our newest PhD candidate, Leanne Grieves!
Sept 2015: Joel Slade successfully completes his comprehensive exam (Ask him about semiochemicals.)
May 2015: Joel Slade wins an OGS
May 2015: Team SOSP captures a record number of song sparrows during 2015 field season!
April 2015: Heather MacGillivray successfully completes her MSc thesis! "Natal philopatry in song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) predicts female cellular versus humoral immune function, but does not consistently predict parasitism".
April 2015: Tosha Kelly and Joel Slade sweep the Society of Canadian Ornithologists' top student research prize (Taverner Awards)!
April 2015: Ricki Lovett wins American Society of Naturalists Travel Award to attend the Evolution conference in Brazil. Parabéns!
April 2015: Ricki Lovett and Joel Slade win Western Biology Travel Awards!
April 2015: Joel Slade wins American Ornithological Union Hesse Research Award!
April 2015: Joel Slade wins Society of Canadian Ornithologists' Student Travel Award!
March 2015: Matt Watson successfully completes his MSc research proposal defense! "Individual diversity at MHC as a predictor of survival and a correlate of neutral-locus heterozygosity in free-living song sparrows".
February 2015: Alannah "Optimistic Rookie" Lymburner wins NSERC USRA to return to SOSP Crew 2015!