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Dr. Judith L. Bronstein, Professor

Positions and Education

Program Director, National Science Foundation, Division of Environmental Biology, 2007-2008
dotProfessor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 2004-present
Associate Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 1995-2004
Assistant Professor, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, 1989-1995
Isaak Walton Killam Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Alberta, 1988
NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre Louis Emberger (CNRS), Montpellier, France, 1987
Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1986
M.S., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 1981
A.B., Ecology and Environmental Studies, Brown University, 1979
Honors and Awards
2007, Distinguished Career Teaching Award, College of Science, University of Arizona
dot2006, Outstanding Faculty Award, Honors College, University of Arizona
dot2003, Mortar Board Senior Honor Society Hall of Fame Award
2000, Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Science, University of Arizona

Research Interests

Judith Bronstein’s lab focuses on the study of interspecific interactions, particularly on the poorly-understood, mutually beneficial ones (mutualisms). Specific conceptual areas of interest include: (i) conflicts of interest between mutualists and their consequences for the maintenance of beneficial outcomes in these interactions; and (ii) context-dependent outcomes in both mutualisms and antagonisms. Using a combination of field observations and experiments, she is examining how population processes, abiotic conditions, and the community context determine net effects of the interactions for the fitness of each participant species. She is also collaborating on theoretical and empirical investigations of (i) the fragility of mutualism in light of conservation threats and mechanisms of restoring disrupted interactions; and (ii) the causes and consequences of "cheating" within mutualism.

Visit Dr. Bronstein's wepage here

PubMed list of publications for Judie Bronstein
Selected Publications

  1. Ferrière, R., M. Gauduchon, and J.L. Bronstein (2007). Evolution and persistence of obligate mutualists and exploiters: competition for partners and evolutionary immunization. Ecology Letters 10: 115-126.

  2. J.L. Bronstein, I. Izhaki, R. Nathan, J.J. Tewksbury, O. Speigel, and A. Lotan (2007) Fleshy-fruited plants and frugivores in desert ecosystems. in: A.J. Dennis, E.W. Schupp, R.J. Green and D.W. Westcott (ed), Seed dispersal: Theory and its Application in a Changing World.Cambridge University Press.

  3. J.L. Bronstein, T.E. Huxman, and G. Davidowitz (2006) Plant-mediated effects linking herbivory and polllination. pp. 79-103 in: Ecological Communities: Plant Mediation in Indirect Interaction Webs. T. Ohgushi, T.G. Craig, and P.W. Price (editors). Cambridge University Press.

  4. J.L. Bronstein, R. Alarcon, and M. Geber (2006). Tansley Review: Evolution of insect/plant mutualisms. New Phytologist 172(3):412-428.

  5. J.H. Ness, W.F. Morris, and J.L. Bronstein (2006). Integrating quality and quantity of mutualistic service to contrast ant species visiting Ferocactus wislizeni, a plant with extrafloral nectaries. Ecology 87: 912-921.

  6. W.F. Morris, W.G. Wilson, J.L. Bronstein, and J.H. Ness (2005) Environmental forcing and the temporal dynamics of a competitive guild of cactus-tending ants. Ecology, in press.

  7. F. Kjellberg, J.L. Bronstein, G. van Ginkel, J.M. Greeff, J.C. Moore, N. Bossu-Dupriez, M. Chevolot and G. Michaloud (2005) Clutch size: a major sex ratio determinant in fig pollinating wasps? Comtes Rendu Biologies, in press.

  8. R.S. Bshary and J.L. Bronstein. (2004) Game structures in mutualisms: what can the evidence tell us about the kinds of models we need? Advances in the Study of Behavior 34:59-104.

  9. J.H. Ness and J.L. Bronstein. (2004) The effects of invasive ants on prospective ant mutualists. Biological Invasions 6: 445-461.

  10. L.S. Adler and J.L. Bronstein. (2004) Attracting antagonists: Does floral nectar increase leaf herbivory? Ecology 85: 1519-1526.

  11. J.H. Ness, J.L. Bronstein, A.N. Andersen, and J.N. Holland. (2004) Ant body size predicts the dispersal distance of ant-adapted seeds: implications for mutualism disruption by invasive ants. Ecology 85: 1244-1250.

  12. J.N. Holland., J.L. Bronstein, and D.L. DeAngelis. (2004) Testing hypotheses for excess flower production and fruit-to-flower ratios in a pollinating seed-consuming mutualism. Oikos 105 633-640.

  13. J.L. Bronstein, W.G. Wilson, and W.F. Morris. (2003) The ecological dynamics of mutualist/ antagonist communities. American Naturalist 162: S24-S39.

  14. W.G. Wilson, W.F. Morris, and J.L. Bronstein. (2003) Coexistence of mutualists and exploiters in spatial landscapes. Ecological Monographs 73: 397-413.

  15. W.F. Morris, J.L. Bronstein, and W.G. Wilson. (2003) Three-way coexistence in obligate mutualist-exploiter communities: the potential role of competition. American Naturalist 161: 860-875.

  16. J.L. Bronstein, U. Dieckmann, and R. Ferrière. (2003) Coevolutionary dynamics and the conservation of mutualisms. pp. 305-326 in: Evolutionary Conservation Biology. R. Ferrière, U. Dieckmann, and D. Couvet (editors), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

  17. R. Ferrière, J.L. Bronstein, S. Rinaldi, M. Gauduchon, and R. Law. (2002) Cheating and the evolutionary stability of mutualism. Proceedings of Royal Society of London, Series B 269: 773-780.

  18. R. Law, J.L. Bronstein, and R. Ferrière (2001) On mutualists and cheaters: plant-insect coevolution in pollinating seed-parasite systems. Journal of Theoretical Biology 212: 373-389.

  19. J.N. Holland, D.L. DeAngelis, and J.L. Bronstein. (2002) Population dynamics and mutualism: Functional responses of benefits and costs. American Naturalist 159: 231-244.

  20. J.L. Bronstein 2001. The costs of mutualism. American Zoologist 41: 127-141.

  21. Bronstein, J.L. 2001. Mutualisms. In Evolutionary Ecology: Perspectives and Synthesis. C. Fox, D. Fairbairn, and D. Roff (eds). Oxford University Press, New York.

  22. Bronstein, J.L. 2001. The exploitation of mutualisms. Ecology Letters 4:277-287.

  23. Kjellberg, F., Jousselin, E., Bronstein, J.L., Patel, A., Yokoyama, J. and J-Y. Rasplus. 2001. Pollination mode in fig wasps: the predictive power of correlated traits. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B 268: 1113-1121.

  24. M. Hossaert-McKey and J.L. Bronstein (2001) Self-pollination and its costs in a monoecious fig (Ficus aurea, Moraceae) in a highly seasonal subtropical environment. American Journal of Botany 88: 685-692.

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