BOONE – Dr. Lynn Siefferman, a behavioral ecologist at Appalachian State University, has received the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ Achievement Award for New Scholars in the Life Sciences for her research on the Eastern Bluebird.

Siefferman researches variations of plumage color and how the bluebird’s brightness of color correlates with personality traits and choice of mate. Using more than 200 bird boxes in rural Watauga County, she has attracted a substantial bird population for studying mating behavior and for collecting feathers to examine in her campus lab.

Dr. Lynn Siefferman receives the Achievement Award for New Scholars in the Life Sciences from Dr. Mark Garrison, chair of the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools’ Awards Committee. Siefferman received the award at CSGS’ annual meeting in Norfolk, Va. (Photo by Edelma Huntley)

Her research to better understand the relationship among the bluebird’s genes, environment and color has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

“It’s important for us to understand evolution and how the world works, because we’re part of it,” said Siefferman, an assistant professor in Appalachian’s Department of Biology. “I work with a model species and ask basic, theoretical science questions.”

Siefferman monitors bluebird behavior through a combination of personal observation and video cameras focused on the nesting boxes. Through her experiments, she has found evidence suggesting:

•    The Eastern bluebird’s color intensity is affected by its environment, such as the amount of food it has access to and the number of hatchlings in a nest. “Anything that puts the bird in sub-optimal conditions results in duller color,” she said.

•    The more colorful males are better able to secure nesting boxes and are not challenged for the boxes by the duller males. “The brighter guys may use color to show their toughness so they’re not messed with,” she said.

•    More colorful males mate earlier and with females who have more and healthier offspring.  “The females may look to color as a determination of a male’s success in functioning in the world,” she said.

•    More colorful males tend to be less aggressive than the duller birds, even during mating season.

“The dull birds are super aggressive and the bright guys are laid back. Why? Our prediction is that the dull guys are protective and engage in stronger mate guarding because the females tend to leave them for the brighter guys. We don’t have the answers, but we see intriguing patterns that are prompting us to research the difference between true dominance and aggression. They aren’t necessarily the same thing,” she said.

Siefferman is also expanding her research to address the role of certain hormones and whether there is a genetic basis to a bird’s personality traits.

Bluebirds, which were considered rare for decades after deforestation in the early 1900s, have rebounded in population. They are now among the most common birds in North America, thanks to concerted efforts to install nesting boxes in communities and on farmland.

Siefferman started her bluebird research while working on her PhD at Auburn University.  She is in her second year teaching at Appalachian.

CSGS’s Achievement Award for New Scholars in the Life Sciences is a $1,000 award recognizing scholarly achievement by a faculty member who has completed his or her terminal academic degree within the past six years. Siefferman received her award at CSGS’s annual meeting in Norfolk, Va., in late February.

“The Department of Biology has been very successful in recruiting new, young faculty members who are truly interested in combining high-quality classroom teaching with nationally outstanding research. Dr. Siefferman’s career at Appalachian has gotten off to a fast start on both fronts, and we look forward to her contributions to our students and her profession for years to come,” said Steven Seagle, chairman of Appalachian’s Department of Biology.

“This award is a very significant accomplishment,” said Edelma Huntley, dean of Appalachian’s Cratis D. Williams Graduate School. “The Conference of Southern Graduate Schools encompasses some very large state university systems and highly respected private institutions from Delaware to Florida, from the East Coast to Texas and Oklahoma. The competition for this award is fierce, and we are very proud of Lynn.”

Conference of Southern Graduate Schools represents more than 200 graduate schools in 15 states. Its purpose is to consider topics relating to graduate study and research which are of mutual interest and concern to the member institutions.

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