Alison Roark
Associate Professor of Biology
- Email: alison.roark@furman.edu
- Phone: 864.294.3757
- Office: Townes 171G
As an animal physiologist, Dr. Roark studies how animals respond to environmental stressors such as exposure to endocrine-active compounds. Using invertebrate models that are locally available and easily maintained in the laboratory, Dr. Roark and her students evaluate the effects of endocrine-active chemicals on growth, development, and reproduction. Most recently, her work has focused on cnidarians, a group of evolutionary ancient animals including corals and sea anemones.
Education
- Ph.D., University of Florida
- B.S., University of Virginia
Publications
- *Castleberry, A.M. and A.M. Roark. Accepted. Genetic fingerprinting of Exaiptasia pallida anemones via amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. Bios.
- Edwards, T.M., H.E. Morgan, *C. Balasca, N.K. Chalasani, *L. Yam, and A.M. Roark. 2018. Detecting estrogenic ligands in personal care products using a yeast estrogen screen optimized for the undergraduate teaching laboratory. Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) 131:e55754.
- *Carlisle, J.F., *G.K. Murphy, and A.M. Roark. 2017. Body size and symbiotic status influence gonad development in Aiptasia pallida anemones. Symbiosis 71:121-127.
- McCoy, K.A, A.M. Roark, A.S.P. Boggs, J.A. Bowden, L. Cruze, T.M. Edwards, H.J. Hamlin, T.M. Cantu, J.A. McCoy, N.A. McNabb, A.G. Wenzel, C.E. Williams, and S. Kohno. 2016. Integrative and comparative reproductive biology: from alligators to xenobiotics. General and Comparative Endocrinology, DOI:10.1016/j.ygcen.2016.03.026.
- *Thorn, H.A., J.E. Quinn, and A.M. Roark. 2015. Reproductive and developmental effects of tributyltin, bisphenol A, and 17 β-estradiol in pale anemones (Aiptasia pallida). Endocrine Disruptors 3:1, e1030062.
- Cruze, L., A.M. Roark, G. Rolland, M. Younas, N. Stacy, and L.J. Guillette, Jr. 2015. Endogenous and exogenous estrogens during embryonic development affect timing of hatch and postnatal growth in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology B 184:10-18.
- Roark, A.M. and K.A. Bjorndal. 2014. Bridging developmental boundaries: lifelong dietary patterns modulate life histories in a parthenogenetic insect. PLoS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111654.
- Moore, B.C., A.M. Roark, S. Kohno, H.J. Hamlin, and L.J. Guillette, Jr. 2012. Gene-environment interactions: the potential role of contaminants in somatic growth and the development of the reproductive system of the American alligator. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 354:111-120.
- Edwards, T.M., B.K. Smith, D.L. Watts, C.C. Germain-Aubrey, A.M. Roark, S.M. Bybee, C.E. Cox, H.J. Hamlin, and L.J. Guillette, Jr. 2011. Group-advantaged training of research: a metamorphosis of mentorship. BioScience 61:301-311.
- Roark, A.M., K.A. Bjorndal, A.B. Bolten, and C. Leeuwenburgh. 2009. Biochemical indices as correlates of recent growth in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 376:59-67.
- Roark, A.M., K.A. Bjorndal, and A.B. Bolten. 2009. Compensatory responses to food restriction in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas). Ecology 90:2524-2534.
- Roark, A.M. and K.A. Bjorndal. 2009. Metabolic rate depression is induced by caloric restriction and correlates with rate of development and lifespan in a parthenogenetic insect. Experimental Gerontology 44:413-419.
- *Emerson, J.K. and A.M. Roark. 2007. Composition of guano produced by frugivorous, sanguivorous, and insectivorous bats. Acta Chiropterologica 9:261-267.
- Franklin, R.B., L.K. Blum, A.C. McCombe, and A.L. Mills. 2002. A geostatistical analysis of small-scale spatial variability in bacterial abundance and community structure in salt marsh creek bank sediments. Federation of European Microbiologists (FEMS) - Microbiology and Ecology 42(1):71-80.