Department of Biological Sciences

Maggie MacPherson

Maggie MacPherson, Assistant Professor

Contact

Office: Waggoner Hall 338
Phone: (309) 298-2155
Email: MP-Macpherson@wiu.edu
Personal Website: http://www.maggiepmacpherson.com/

Research Interests

I am an evolutionary ecologist studying range dynamics of terrestrial animals. I primarily study what shapes avian species’ ranges by testing hypotheses explaining range dynamics at short (seasonal), medium (last century), and long (macroevolutionary) time scales. I integrate occurrence data, physiological, behavioral, and morphological data to improve our understanding of how abiotic factors, biotic factors, and dispersal limitation shape species ranges.

Teaching

Zoology, Ecology, Herpetology

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Logan, C.J., D. Lukas, A.P. Blaisdell, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, M. MacPherson, B. SeitzG, A. SevchikU, K.B. McCune. 2023. Behavioral flexibility is manipulable and it improves flexibility and innovativeness in a new context. Peer Community Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.284.  

McCune, K.B., A.P. Blaisdell, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, A. SevchikU, D. Lukas, M. MacPherson, B. SeitzG, C.J. Logan. 2023. Using repeatability of performance within and across contexts to validate measures of behavioral flexibility. PeerJ. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.15773.

Pacheco, M.A., F.C. Ferreira, C.J. Logan, K.B. McCune, M. MacPherson, S.A. Miranda, D. Santiago-Alarcon, A.A. Escalante. 2022. Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) as a tolerant host of avian malaria parasites. PLOS ONE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268161.

Logan, C.J., K.B. McCune, M. MacPherson, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, C. Rowney, B. SeitzG, A.P. Blaisdell, D. Deffner, C.A.B. Wascher. 2022. Are the more flexible great-tailed grackles also better at behavioral inhibition? Animal Behavior and Cognition. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.09.01.03.2022.

LaRose, S.G, M. MacPherson, D. Lesmeister, H. Hackett, R. Perry, D. Sasse, M. Gompper. 2022. Predicted Distribution of Plains Spotted Skunk in Arkansas and Missouri. Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22165.

MacPherson, M., A.E., Jahn, J. DeFreitas, K. Looknauth, A. Wilson, L. Baird, K. DeFreitas, S. Chiasson, C.M. Taylor. 2021. Evidence of a trophic niche shift in an omnivorous migratory bird in South America: A comparison of stable isotope signatures from feathers between migratory and sedentary subspecies of Tyrannus savana. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1676/20-00134.

Blaisdell A., B. SeitzG, C. Rowney, M. FolsomU, M. MacPherson, D. Deffner, and C.J. Logan. 2021. Do the more flexible individuals rely more on causal cognition? Observation versus intervention in causal inference in great-tailed grackles. Peer Community Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.44.

MacPherson, M., A.E. Jahn, and N.A. Mason. Morphology of migration: Associations between wing, and bill morphology and migration in kingbirds (Tyrannus). 2021. The Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI: https://doi.orf/10.1093/biolinnean/blab123.

Seitz, B.M.G, K.B. McCune, M. MacPherson, L. Bergeron, A.P. Blaisdell, C.J. Logan. 2021. Using Touchscreen Equipped Operant Chambers to Study Comparative Cognition. Benefits, Limitations, and Advice. PLOS ONE, 16(2): e0246446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246446.

MacPherson, M., E. Webb, A. Raedeke, D. Mengel, and F. Nelson. 2018. A review of Bayesian belief networks as decision-support tools for wetland conservation: Are water birds potential umbrella taxa? Biological Conservation, 226: 215-223. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.08.001.

MacPherson, M., A. Jahn, M. Murphy, D. Kim, V. Cueto, D. Tuero, and E. HillU. 2018. Follow the rain? Environmental drivers of Tyrannus migration across the New World. The Auk, 135(4): 881-894. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-17-208.1.

Jahn, A., V. Bejarano, M. Guzman, L. Brown, I. Provinciato, J. Cereghetti, V. Cueto, J. Giraldo, V. Gomez-Bahamon, M. Husak, H. LePage, M. MacPherson, M. Marini, M. Pizo, A. Quickle, D. Roeder, J. Sarasola and D. Tuero. 2017. Molting while breeding? Lessons from New World Tyrannus Flycatchers. Journal of Ornithology, 158: 1061-1071. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1464-5.

Jahn, A., N. Seavy, V. Bejarano, M. Guzman, I. Provinciato, M. Pizo, and M. MacPherson. 2016. Intra-tropical migration and wintering areas of Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus savana) breeding in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Ornithology, 24(2): 116-121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03544339.

Jahn, A., J. Giraldo, M. MacPherson, D. Tuero, J. Sarasola, J. Cereghetti, D. Masson, and M. Morales. 2016. Demographic variation in timing and intensity of feather molt in migratory Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus s. savana). Journal of Field Ornithology, 87(2): 143-154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12147. 

Stanley, C., E. McKinnon, K. Fraser, M. MacPherson, G. Casbourn, L. Friesen, P. Marra, C. Studds, T. Ryder, N. Diggs, and B. Stutchbury. 2014. Connectivity of Wood Thrush breeding, wintering, and migration sites based on range-wide tracking. Conservation Biology, 29(1): 164-174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12352.

McKinnon, E., C. Stanley, K. Fraser, M. MacPherson, G. Casbourn, P. Marra, C. Studds, N. Diggs, and B. Stutchbury. 2012. Estimating geolocator accuracy for a migratory songbird using live ground-truthing in a tropical forest. Animal Migration, 1: 31-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ami-2013-0001.

Stanley, C. ec, M. MacPherson ec, K. Fraser, E. McKinnon, and B. Stutchbury. 2012. Repeat tracking of individual songbirds reveals consistent migration timing but flexibility in route. PLoS ONE, 7(7): e40688. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0040688. 

Stutchbury, B., E. Gow, T. Done, M. MacPherson, J. Fox, and V. Afanasyev. 2010. Effects of post-breeding moult and energetic condition on timing of songbird migration into the tropics. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 278(1702): 131-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1220.

Book Chapters

Tuero, D.T., A.E. Jahn, and M. MacPherson. 2019. Bird Migration in South America: The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) as a Case Study. Chapter 7, pp. 133-154 in Reboreda, J.C., et al. Behavioral Ecology of Neotropical Birds. DOI: https://doi.orf/10.1007/978-3-030-14280-3_7.

Non-Peer Reviewed Publications

Cueto, V.R., A.E. Jahn, D.T. Tuero, A.C. Guaraldo, J.H. Sarasola, S.P. Bravo. V. Gomez, J.I. Giraldo, D.A. Masson, M. MacPherson, and J.E. Jimenez. Febrero-Marzo. 2015. Las aves migratorias de America del Sur: Nuevas tecnicas revelan informacion sobre su comportamiento. Ciencia Hoy magazine, 24(142):19-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14280-3_7.