Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Shelley Adamo

Professor

Shelley Adamo

Related Information

Research Website

Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Email: Shelley.Adamo@dal.ca
Phone: (902) 494-8853
Fax: (902) 494-6585
Mailing Address: 
Dalhousie University, Life Sciences Centre, Rm 3324, 6287 Alumni Crescent, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2
 
Research Topics:
  • Parasitic manipulation of behaviour
  • Ecoimmunology
  • Climate change effects on insect physiology and behaviour

Cross Appointments

Department of Biology

Education

BSc (Toronto)
PhD (McGill)

About My Lab

We explore interactions between behaviour and physiology, using insect model systems. We examine how underlying connections across different stress responses (e.g. predator stress and the response to pathogens) shape an animal's ability to respond to environmental challenges such as climate change. We are also interested in how a parasitic wasp, Cotesia congregata, is able to hijack the brain of its caterpillar host. We use a range of techniques including behavioural studies, physiological methods, and biochemical and molecular assays.

Selected Publications

  • McMillan LEM, Herbison RH, Biron DG, Barkhouse A, Miller DW, Raun N and Adamo SA (2024).  The caterpillar Manduca sexta brain shows changes in gene expression and protein abundance correlating with parasitic manipulation of behaviour.  Scientific Reports.  14: 31773.
  • Ferguson LV, Nabbout AE, Adamo SA. (2024). Warming, but not infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, increases off-host winter activity in the ectoparasite Ixodes scapularis. Journal of Thermal Biology.  121: 103853.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103853
  • Adamo SA, Corkum E, Kim JS, Lee M, Miller DM, Song S, Wright C, Zacher ID, Zbarsky JS, McMillan LE. (2023) Muscle in the caterpillar Manduca sexta responds to an immune challenge, but at a cost, suggesting a physiological trade-off. Journal of Experimental Biology. 226:jeb245861. Featured by Journal.
  • Miles CI, Chen WP, Adamo SA, Kester KM, Miller DW. (2023)  Caterpillars (Manduca sexta) parasitized by the wasp Cotesia congregata stop chewing despite an intact motor system.  Journal of Experimental Biology.  226: jeb245716.
  • Nabbout AE, Ferguson LV, Miyashita A, Adamo SA. (2023) Female ticks (Ixodes scapularis) infected with Borrelia burgdorferi have increased overwintering survival, with implications for tick population growth.   Insect Science. doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.13205
  • Ferguson LV and Adamo SA.  (2023) From perplexing to predictive:  Are we ready to predict insect disease resistance in a warming world?  Journal of Experimental Biology.  226 (4): jeb244911
  • Adamo SA (2023) Dividing up the bill: Interactions between how parasitoids manipulate host behaviour and who pays the cost.  Functional Ecology. 37 (4): 801-808. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14150.  Featured on journal cover and issue. (volume 37 (4):793-795).
  • Adamo SA, El Nabbout A, Ferguson L, Zbarsky J, Faraone N. (2022).  Using cold as an ally: Balsam fir (Abies balsamea L., Mill) needles and essential oil kill overwintering ticks.  Scientific Reports.  12: 12999. https://rdcu.be/cSCpk
  • Adamo SA. (2022) The integrated defense system:  optimizing defense against predators, pathogens and poisons.  Integrative and Comparative Biology. 62 (6): 1536-1546. https://doi.org/10.1093/icb/icac024

Teaching

NESC/PSYO 3165--Neurothology
NESC/PSYO 2570--Introduction to Neuroscience II. Cellular Neurobiology
NESC/PSYO 3180--Psychoneuroimmunology/Ecological Immunology