Saturday, October 11, 2025

Dr. James Loving Lichtenstein, Assistant Professor of Biology, Sacred Heart University “Predator Traits and Social Interactions Combine to Shape Meadow Ecosystems”

Quinnipiac Chapter of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society 

Seminar Series 

presents 

Dr. James Loving Lichtenstein, Assistant Professor of Biology, Sacred Heart University 

“Predator Traits and Social Interactions Combine to Shape Meadow Ecosystems” 

on 

Tuesday, November 18 at 12:30 PM in EC 101 

Predation shapes ecosystems and informs land management decisions. To better predict the how much predators eat, I have spent the last 10 years replicating the process in miniature in all sorts of different boxes. I have found that how much small predators like mantises and spiders eat depends on three things: 1) their traits (behaviors and size), 2) how much they bully each other, and 3) the complexity of their environments. This talk will introduce these questions of predation ecology and delve into my findings in more depth. We will explore how putting bugs in boxes and watching them fight can help answer some of ecology’s toughest question. 

Dr. James Loving Lichtenstein got his PhD at UC-Santa Barbara, where he researched the ecology of animal personality. Then, he tested predator-prey interaction models as a part of his Post-doctoral work at the Yale School of School of the environment. Next, he taught as a visiting assistant professor of biology at Kenyon college. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Sacred Heart University.