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Andrew Anthony Davinack

Andrew David profile picture

Andrew Davinack

Assistant Professor / Director of Freshman Biology
Biology

Email: adavid@clarkson.edu
Phone: 315/268-4355
Office: 153 Science Center
Mailbox: CU Box 5805
Website: David Lab

  • Biography
  • Research Interests
  • Publications
Education
Zoology Ph.D. - 2015
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Biology M.S. - 2011
Hofstra University, New York
Biology B.S. - 2009
St. Johns University, New York
Courses Taught
BY 140: Biology I – Inheritance, Evolution & Diversity
BY 160: Biology II – Cell & Molecular Biology
BY 304: Introductory Zoology
BY 324: Parasitology
BY 445: Biological Oceanography
Biography

Andrew David was born in Trinidad and Tobago and grew up in Queens, New York. It was on the island of Trinidad that he developed his passion for marine biology and in New York City, where he developed his passion for jazz and city lights. He completed his undergraduate and master’s degree in Queens and Long Island respectively then spent four years in southern Africa as a PhD student in the winelands of Stellenbosch. His research interests are broad and spans the entire field of Biology from the molecular to the ecological level, and so he is comfortable teaching the entire freshman sequence of Ecology & Evolution and Cell & Molecular Biology. He also co-ordinates the freshman Biology recitation program. His interests include science fiction, death metal & 90s hip hop (and jazz too of course!) along with rugby and powerlifting.

Editorial Responsibilities 
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, BioInvasion Records
Editorial Advisory Board, Aquatic Invasions
Associate Editor, African Zoology

Research Interests

Dr. David is interested in understanding the dispersal and range expansion of aquatic invasive species. Anthropogenic disturbances such as introductory events and climate change are expected to significantly alter species ranges on a global scale and developing methods to predict these changes are crucial for the conservation of aquatic biodiversity. His research involves designing culture methods for rearing non-model organisms (specifically obligate symbiotic polychaetes) and investigating the effects of changing temperature and salinity regimes on their development. Furthermore, his research uses population genetics to quantify larval connectivity and gene-flow among spatially separated populations. This method is often used to detect evolutionary significant units, which are the targets of many conservation programs. His most recent research involves developing an integrated approach that combines genetic studies with high resolution particle tracking models to predict the spread of invasive species. This method is a much more powerful measure of estimating connectivity as it can distinguish human-mediated movement from ‘natural’ movement and therefore acts as a control for anthropogenic influences. This study is an ongoing collaborative effort with researchers from both South Africa and the United Kingdom

Publications

Publications *denotes undergraduate student co-author

20. *Parker A., David A.A. (2020) Genetic characterization of the giant liver fluke, Fascioloides magna (Platyhelminthes: Fascioloidae) from the Adirondack region of northern New York. Acta Parasitologica DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-020-00256-5

19. David A.A. (accepted) Introducing Python programming into Undergraduate Biology. The American Biology Teacher 

18. David A.A., *Pettit L., *Edmund M. (2020) Resilience of a highly invasive freshwater gastropod, Viviparus georgianus (Mollusca: Viviparidae) to CO2-induced acidification. Journal of Molluscan Studies 86: 259 – 262. 

17. David A.A., *Cahill J. (2020) Tri-oceanic connectivity of the supposedly cosmopolitan polychaete, Harmothoe imbricata (Annelida: Polynoidae): insights from the COI marker. Marine Biology Research DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17451000.2020.1740740

16. David A.A., *Cote S. (2019) Genetic evidence confirms the presence of the Japanese mystery snail, Cipangopaludina japonica (von Martens, 1861) (Caenogastropoda: Viviparidae) in northern New York. BioInvasion Records 8: 793 – 803.  

15. David A.A., *Krick M. (2019) DNA barcoding of polychaetes collected during the 2018 Rapid Assessment Survey of floating dock communities from New England. Marine Biology Research 15: 317 – 324.     

14. David A.A., Janáč, M. (2018). Twenty-year anniversary of the ICAIS: progress and challenges towards a better understanding of aquatic invasions. Aquatic Invasions 13: 433-437.

13. David A.A. (2018). Reconsidering panmixia: the erosion of phylogeographic barriers due to anthropogenic transport and the incorporation of biophysical models as a solution. Frontiers in Marine Science 5, 280. 

12. *Pickett T., David A.A. (2018) Global connectivity patterns of the notoriously invasive mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk using archived CO1 sequence data. BMC Research Notes 11: 231. 

11. David A.A. (2018) Using project-based learning to teach phylogenetic reconstruction for advanced undergraduate biology students: Molluscan evolution as a case study. American Biology Teacher 80: 278-284. 

10. David A.A., Loveday B.R. (2018). The role of cryptic dispersal in shaping connectivity patterns of marine populations in a changing world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 98: 647 – 655. 

9. David A.A., *Gardner K. (2017) Repurposing of archived CO1 sequence data reveals unusually high genetic structure between North American and European zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). Mitochondrial DNA Part B 2: 853 – 855. 

8. David A.A., Lewis A., *Yhann A., *Zhou H., *Verra S. (2017) DNA barcoding of the banded mystery snail, Viviparus georgianus (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) in the Adirondacks with quantification of trematode prevalence in the species. American Malacological Bulletin 35: 175 – 180. 

7. David A.A. (2017) A student-centered approach for teaching undergraduate Parasitology. Trends in Parasitology 33: 420 – 423. [invited article]

6. David A.A., Matthee C.A., Loveday B.R., Simon C.A. (2016). Predicting the dispersal potential of an invasive polychaete pest along a complex coastal biome.  Integrative and Comparative Biology 56: 600 – 610. 

5. David A.A., Williams, J.D. (2016) The influence of hypo-osmotic stress on the regenerative capacity of the invasive polychaete, Marenzelleria viridis (Annelida: Spionidae) from its native range. Marine Ecology 37: 821-830

4. David A.A., Simon C.A. (2014) The effect of temperature on larval development of two non-indigenous poecilogonous polychaetes (Annelida: Spionidae) with implications for life history, establishment and range expansion. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 461: 20-30.

3. David A.A., Matthee C.A., Simon C.A. (2014) Poecilogony in Polydora hoplura (Polycheata: Spionidae) from commercially important molluscs in South Africa. Marine Biology 161: 887-898.

2. David A.A., Williams J.D. (2012). Morphology and natural history of the cryptogenic sponge associate, Polydora colonia (Polychaeta: Spionidae). Journal of Natural History 46: 1509-1528.

1. David A.A., Williams J.D. (2012). Asexual reproduction and anterior regeneration under high and low temperatures in the sponge associate Polydora colonia (Polychaeta: Spionidae). Invertebrate Reproduction and Development 56: 315-324. 

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