Karen Warkentin

Associate Professor of Biology at Boston University

Schools

  • Boston University

Links

Biography

Boston University

Research in the Warkentin laboratory examines developing organisms in an ecological context. They study hatching and metamorphosis as critical life history transitions, focusing on the ability of animals to facultatively alter these switch points in response to changing risks and opportunities in each life stage. Their research integrates ideas and techniques from ecology, behavior, and physiology, developmental and evolutionary biology, and mechanical engineering.

The lab’s study organisms are amphibians and their enemies. In the neotropics we study leaf-breeding treefrogs, with arboreal eggs and aquatic tadpoles. Their work addresses mechanisms of plasticity, its evolution, and the consequences of different plastic ‘choices’ in different environments.

Read about executive education

Cases

When Under Attack, These Frogs Hatch Themselves

June 27, 2016

New York Times (subscription required) Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences It’s a good thing for frog embryos to be able to hatch early… Expert quote: “Think bald eagles and salmon, but really small.” View full article

View full article

Frog Embryos Speed-Hatch to Escape Danger

June 16, 2016

LiveScience Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences A developing frog embryo in its jelly-like egg mass can be quite the escape artist: When predators come calling, the red-eyed tree frog embryo can detect the threat and drop out of its egg to safety in a matter of seconds, even though it normally wouldn’t be ready […]

View full article

How red-eyed treefrog embryos hatch in seconds

June 15, 2016

PhysOrg Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences When they come under attack by a predatory treesnake, red-eyed treefrog embryos must escape in seconds or risk becoming lunch… Expert quote: “This escape hatching is a mechanism for running away from a really important predator.” View full article 

View full article

Badass frog embryos can hatch in seconds to escape snakes and wasps

June 15, 2016

The Verge Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Even as little embryos in eggs, red-eyed tree frogs are totally badass… Expert quote: “For red-eyed tree frogs, their fast-hatching mechanism enables about 80 percent of embryos to escape from snake and wasp attacks, over a pretty broad developmental period.” View full article

View full article

Frog embryos can opt to leave egg early

June 9, 2015

Futurity News Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Eggs are great places for frog embryos, but aren’t impervious to threats like limited oxygen, floods, fungal pathogens, and predators… Expert quote: “Hatching is a controlled, regulated response. At some point, the embryos will decide to do it. It’s amazing the information they attend to.” View […]

View full article

Behavior Brief

April 10, 2013

The Scientist Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research… Expert quote: “This is not just happening in delicate skinks. I’m thinking that environmentally cued hatching is very widespread, in many groups.” View full article

View full article

An Emergency Hatch for Baby Lizards

April 5, 2013

Science Magazine Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Talk about hatching an escape plan… Expert quote: “This is not just happening in delicate skinks—I’m thinking that environmentally cued hatching is very widespread, in many groups. But exactly how embryos make the decision to stay put or bail out is something we’re still trying to […]

View full article

How the Tree Frog Has Redefined Our View of Biology

December 19, 2012

Smithsonian Karen Warkentin, College of Arts & Sciences Karen Warkentin, wearing tall olive-green rubber boots, stands on the bank of a concrete-lined pond at the edge of the Panamanian rainforest… View article

View full article

Other experts

Jay Watkins

Bio Jay Watkins is a Managing Director at De Novo Ventures. Mr. Watkins is an operating executive with extensive experience founding and funding healthcare companies. Prior to joining DeNovo in 2002, Mr. Watkins was a co-founder and founding CEO of Origin Medsystems, a venture funded medical tech...

Turan Bali

Turan G. Bali is the Robert S. Parker Chair Professor of Business Administration at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. He received his Ph.D. from the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York in 1999. Before joining Georgetown University, Pro...

Looking for an expert?

Contact us and we'll find the best option for you.

Something went wrong. We're trying to fix this error.