Qualifications
- PhD: Allonursing in the cooperatively breeding meerkat
University of Cambridge, 2011–2014 - BSc: Zoology
University of St. Andrews, 2005–2009
Research Interests
I am a behavioural ecologist interested in the links between animal behaviour, life history and physiology, and how individuals interact with each other and their environment, primarily (but not exclusively!) in reptiles.
These interests cover a broad range of topics, from predator-prey interactions, to anthropogenic noise disturbance, to ecophysiology, and reproductive and breeding system ecology.
Currently, my research is focusing on the intersection of a few major themes:
- environmental change - particularly winter warming - and how this impacts reptile behaviour, physiology, and population dynamics
- the role of stress in wild animals
- maternal effects - how a mother's environment influences the phenotype of her offspring
- the drivers and consequences of social and prosocial behaviour
For more info, see my personal/lab webpage.
Postgraduate Project Opportunities
I am willing to supervise a PhD
Publications
2023
- PublishedStress in the social context: a behavioural and eco-evolutionary perspective
MacLeod, K., English, S., Ruuskanen, S. & Taborsky, B., 1 Aug 2023, In: Journal of Experimental Biology. 226, 15, jeb245829.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
2022
- PublishedA quantitative synthesis of and predictive framework for studying winter warming effects in reptiles
Moss, J. & MacLeod, K., 1 Oct 2022, In: Oecologia. 200, p. 259-271 13 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedContext-dependent effects of glucocorticoids on the lizard gut microbiome
MacLeod, K. J., Kohl, K. D., Trevelline, B. K. & Langkilde, T., 1 Jan 2022, In: Molecular Ecology. 31, 1, p. 185-196
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedGas compressor noise does not influence tree swallow nestling condition or immune response
MacLeod, K., Naugle, L., Brittingham, M. & Avery, J., Sept 2022, In: Journal of Zoology. 318, 1, p. 1-9
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedPredator-induced transgenerational plasticity in animals: a meta-analysis
MacLeod, K., Monestier, C., Ferrari, M., McGhee, K., Sheriff, M. & Bell, A., 1 Dec 2022, In: Oecologia. 200, 3-4, p. 371-383 13 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2021
- PublishedCompensating for a stressful pregnancy? Glucocorticoid treatment during gravidity reduces metabolic rate in female fence lizards post-parturition
MacLeod, K. J., Langkilde, T., Heppner, J. J., Howey, C. A. F., Sprayberry, K., Tylan, C. & Sheriff, M. J., 1 Nov 2021, In: Hormones and Behavior. 136
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe influence of maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype in high- and low-risk environments
MacLeod, K. J., Langkilde, T., Venable, C. P., Ensminger, D. C. & Sheriff, M. J., 1 Nov 2021, In: Behavioral Ecology. 32, 6, p. 1330-1338
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedViviparous mothers impose stronger glucocorticoid-mediated maternal stress effects on their offspring than oviparous mothers
MacLeod, K. J., While, G. M. & Uller, T., 1 Dec 2021, In: Ecology and Evolution. 11, 23, p. 17238-17259
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2020
- PublishedAcademic ecosystems must evolve to support a sustainable postdoc workforce
Alund, M., Emery, N., Jarrett, B. J. M., MacLeod, K. J., McCreery, H. F., Mamoozadeh, N., Phillips, J. G., Schossau, J., Thompson, A. W., Warwick, A. R., Yule, K. M., Zylstra, E. R. & Gering, E., 1 Jun 2020, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 4, 6, p. 777-781
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2019
- PublishedGestation alters the gut microbiota of an oviparous lizard
Trevelline, B. K., MacLeod, K. J., Langkilde, T. & Kohl, K. D., 1 Jul 2019, In: Fems Microbiology Ecology. 95, 7
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedGlucocorticoids do not influence a secondary sexual trait or its behavioral expression in eastern fence lizards
MacLeod, K. J., McCormick, G. L. & Langkilde, T., 26 Mar 2019, In: Scientific Reports. 9
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedHistory of predator exposure affects cell-mediated immunity in female eastern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)
Sprayberry, K., Tylan, C., Owen, D. A. S., Macleod, K. J., Sheriff, M. J. & Langkilde, T., 1 Dec 2019, In: BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY. 128, 4, p. 944-951
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedMaternal corticosterone increases thermal sensitivity of heart rate in lizard embryos
Owen, D. A. S., Sheriff, M. J., Heppner, J. J., Gerke, H., Ensminger, D. C., MacLeod, K. J. & Langkilde, T., 31 Jan 2019, In: Biology letters. 15, 1
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedThe effect of novel and familiar predator cues on prey vigilance and foraging behaviors in the greater khingan mountains, Inner Mongolia, China
Mpemba, H., Fan, Y., MacLeod, K. J., Wen, D. & Jiang, G., 26 Aug 2019, In: Applied Ecology and Environmental Research. 17, 4, p. 8219-8234
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedTree selection is linked to locomotor performance and associated noise production in a lizard
MacLeod, K. J., Freidenfelds, N. A., Leighton, G. M. & Langkilde, T., 1 Mar 2019, In: Journal of Zoology. 307, 3, p. 195-202
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2018
- PublishedFear and lethality in snowshoe hares: the deadly effects of non-consumptive predation risk
MacLeod, K. J., Krebs, C. J., Boonstra, R. & Sheriff, M. J., 1 Mar 2018, In: Oikos. 127, 3, p. 375-380
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedIn ovo microbial communities: a potential mechanism for the initial acquisition of gut microbiota among oviparous birds and lizards
Trevelline, B. K., MacLeod, K. J., Knutie, S. A., Langkilde, T. & Kohl, K. D., 31 Jul 2018, In: Biology letters. 14, 7
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedMaternal stress alters the phenotype of the mother, her eggs and her offspring in a wild-caught lizard
Ensminger, D. C., Langkilde, T., Owen, D. A. S., MacLeod, K. J. & Sheriff, M. J., 1 Nov 2018, In: Journal of Animal Ecology. 87, 6, p. 1685-1697
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSocial context-dependent provisioning rules in red-winged fairy-wrens do not vary with signals of increased chick need
MacLeod, K. J. & Brouwer, L., 1 Sept 2018, In: Animal Behaviour. 143, p. 105-111
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedSurvival and reproductive costs of repeated acute glucocorticoid elevations in a captive, wild animal
MacLeod, K. J., Sheriff, M. J., Ensminger, D. C., Owen, D. A. S. & Langkilde, T., 1 Nov 2018, In: General and Comparative Endocrinology. 268, p. 1-6
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2017
- PublishedDo mothers bias offspring sex ratios in carotenoid-rich environments?
MacLeod, K. J., Brekke, P., Tong, W., Ewen, J. G. & Thorogood, R., 1 Jan 2017, In: Behavioral Ecology. 28, 1, p. 131-137
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedIntegrating Ecological and Evolutionary Context in the Study of Maternal Stress
Sheriff, M. J., Bell, A., Boonstra, R., Dantzer, B., Lavergne, S. G., McGhee, K. E., MacLeod, K. J., Winandy, L., Zimmer, C. & Love, O. P., 1 Sept 2017, In: Integrative and Comparative Biology. 57, 3, p. 437-449
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2016
- PublishedMinutes matter: brief hatching asynchrony adversely affects late-hatched hihi nestlings, but not life beyond the nest
MacLeod, K. J., Brekke, P., Ewen, J. G. & Thorogood, R., 1 Sept 2016, In: Animal Behaviour. 119, p. 111-118
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2015
- PublishedLow costs of allonursing in meerkats: mitigation by behavioral change?
MacLeod, K. J. & Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1 May 2015, In: Behavioral Ecology. 26, 3, p. 697-705
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedNo apparent benefits of allonursing for recipient offspring and mothers in the cooperatively breeding meerkat
MacLeod, K. J., McGhee, K. E. & Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1 Jul 2015, In: Journal of Animal Ecology. 84, 4, p. 1050-1058
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2014
- PublishedJunior scientists are sceptical of sceptics of open access: a reply to Agrawal
Carter, A. J., Horrocks, N. P. C., Huchard, E., Logan, C. J., Lukas, D., MacLeod, K. J., Marshall, H. H., Peck, H. L., Sanderson, J. L. & Sorensen, M. C., 1 Jun 2014, In: TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE. 19, 6, p. 339-340
Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review - PublishedRevisiting non-offspring nursing: allonursing evolves when the costs are low
MacLeod, K. J. & Lukas, D., 30 Jun 2014, In: Biology letters. 10, 6
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2013
- PublishedFactors predicting the frequency, likelihood and duration of allonursing in the cooperatively breeding meerkat
MacLeod, K. J., Nielsen, J. F. & Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1 Nov 2013, In: Animal Behaviour. 86, 5, p. 1059-1067
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review - PublishedNo evidence for adaptive sex ratio variation in the cooperatively breeding meerkat, Suricata suricatta
MacLeod, K. J. & Clutton-Brock, T. H., Mar 2013, In: Animal Behaviour. 85, 3, p. 645-653
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Research Fellow, Lund University 2019 - 2022
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Pennsylvania State University 2016 - 2019
Research Associate, University of Cambridge 2014 - 2016