Phone: (509)-313-6636 Fax: (509)-313-5804 eMail:
Office#: HU 207
Research Interests
I'm interested in the evolution of sexual dimorphism and sexual monomorphism. I work on plethodontid salamanders primarily (genera: Aneides, Ensatina, and Plethodon primarily), specifically focusing on understanding the variation in types of skin glands of various body regions, and the variation in gland type and size between sexes and species. Ultimately our goal is to understand the function of the various glands, but for now we are focusing on understanding the glands morphologically and histologically.
Ph.D. in Zoology (May 1989) University of California at Berkeley Dissertation: The evolution of sexual dimorphism in the salamander genus Aneides (Amphibia: Plethodontidae); major professor: David B. Wake
B.A. (June 1980) in Biology, Earlham College, Richmond Indiana
Fontana* MF, LD Houck, and NL Staub. 2007. In situ localization of plethodontid courtship pheromone mRNA in formalin-fixed tissue. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 150:480-485.
MF Fontana*, KA Ask*, RJ MacDonald*, AM Carnes*, and NL Staub. 2006. Loss of traditional mucous glands and presence of a novel mucus-producing granular gland in the plethodontid salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 87: 469-477.
N. Staub, CA Palmer, A Carnes*, C Quitiquit*, and M Susantio*. 2005. A dorsal tail tubercle containing hypertrophied granular and mucous glands is present in female Salamandra luschani (Salamandridae). Herpetologica 61(4):415-421.
Staub, NL, PG Pauw, and D Pauw*. 2005. Seeing the forest through the trees: Helping students appreciate life's diversity by building the Tree of Life. IN PRESS. The American Biology Teacher.
Staub, N.L. and D.B. Wake. 2005. Aneides ferreus Cope, 1869, Clouded Salamander. Pp 658-660. In Lannoo, M.J. (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. Volume 2: Species Accounts. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Staub, N.L. and D.B. Wake. 2005. Aneides flavipunctatus (Strauch, 1870), Black Salamander. Pp 660-661. In Lannoo, M.J. (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. Volume 2: Species Accounts. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Staub, N.L. and D.B. Wake. 2005. Aneides lugubris (Hallowell, 1949), Arboreal Salamander. Pp 662-664. In Lannoo, M.J. (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. Volume 2: Species Accounts. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Staub, N.L. and D.B. Wake. 2005. Aneides vagrans (Wake and Jackman, 1998) Wandering Salamander. Pp 664-666. In Lannoo, M.J. (Ed.), Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species. Volume 2: Species Accounts. University of California Press, Berkeley, California.
Staub, N.L. and R. Anderson*. 2001. A Novel Behavior for Urodeles: Micturition in the Plethodontid Salamander Aneides lugubris. Herpetological Review 32(3):158-9.
Staub, N.L. and M. DeBeer*. 1997. The role of androgens in female vertebrates: A review. General and Comparative Endocrinology 108:1-24. Chosen for cover article.
Staub, N.L. and J. Paladin*. 1997. The presence of modified granular glands in male and female Aneides lugubris (Amphibia: Plethodontidae). Herpetologica 53:339-344.
Staub, N.L., C.W. Brown, and D. B. Wake. 1995. Movement patterns of the salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis in the Sierra Nevada of California. Journal of Herpetology 29:593-599.
Staub, N.L. 1993. Intraspecific agonistic behavior of the salamander Aneides flavipunctatus (Amphibia: Plethodontidae) with comparisons to other plethodontid species. Herpetologica 49:271-282.
Grants
Faculty Development Grant to Enhance Civic Engagement, Gonzaga University. ÒTackling scientific illiteracy one teacher at a time: Preparing pre-service teachers to teach science effectively and with confidence while helping K-8 students in our community.Ó $700. 2007-08.
Rotary Club 21, Science Outreach to Roosevelt Elementary School. $500. 2006-07.
NSF Research Opportunity Award, Oregon State University, in conjunction with Dr. Houck's NSF grant: Collaborative Research: The Evolution of Pheromone Signals and Their Role in Behavioral Isolation. $18,000. Summer 2005.
Murdock Charitable Trust, "Structure, function, and phylogenetic distribution of the modified granular gland in the salamander family Plethodontidae" $35,000. May 2003-August 2005.
NSF CCLI (with Co-PI Peter G. Pauw): Focusing on student stewardship of laboratory learning: Implementing inquiry-based imaging investigations across the curriculum. $199,910. June 2001-2005.
NSF grant supplement: Tyrone Hayes and Nancy Staub. The role of steroid receptors and aromatase in ontogenetic color change in the Hyperoliidae. $27,376. September 1998-July 1999.
NSF Research at Undergraduate Institutions Award: "Hormonal and morphological variation in salamanders." August 1995- July 2000. $139,043.
NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates supplement: $4117. "Hormonal and morphological variation in salamanders." Summer 1996.
NSF Research Planning Grant. "Investigation of the androgenic basis for male-like females in the salamander genus Aneides. 1 Aug. 1993 - 30 Jan. 1995. $21,867.
Murdock College Science Research Program. Summer salary stipend for summer 1993, 1995. Stipends for students and supplies summers 1993-95, academic year stipends for students 1996-2000, summer stipends for students, summers 2004-05.
Research Interests