Andy Ammons

Andy Ammons memberships and Associations include:

• Animal Behavior Society (ABS)
• Entomological Society of America (ESA)
• Indiana Beekeeper’s Association (IBA)
• Indiana State Beekeeper’s Association (ISBA)
• Michiana Beekeeper’s Association (MBA)
• Heartland Apicultural Society (HAS)
• American Association of Professional Apiculturists (AAPA)
• American Beekeeping Federation (ABF)
• Ohio Valley Entomological Association (OVEA)
• International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI)
• Indiana College Biology Teacher’s Association (ICBTA)
• Indiana Academy of Sciences (IAS)
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB)
• American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU)
• Mennonite Healthcare Fellowship (MHF)

• B.A., Berea College, 2003
• Ph.D., Purdue University West Lafayette, 2007

I have various research interests, including the biology of addiction, honey bee behavioral genetics, the evolution of social behavior, and insect biology (entomology). Many of these research avenues can be integrated in a discussion of “stress:”

Stress is a phenomenon that we have all experienced, although that stress should usually be characterized as psychological stress.  However, even psychological stress can result in detrimental physiological stress (headaches, nausea, etc.).  All living organisms undergo physiological stress due to the pressures of numerous internal and external stressors.  These stressors can include the chronic effects of aerobic metabolism (reactive oxygen species) that lead to aging, in addition to the negative impacts of many drugs and chemicals that organisms are exposed to (See Margotta et al, 2013 – for genomics of honey bee aging).  Many humans, in fact, either inhale, imbibe, or absorb a myriad of harmful substances in daily life.  These substances include nicotine, caffeine, UV rays, and alcohol among many others.

It is therefore imperative that we have a basic understanding of how these substances affect the physiological and genomic functioning of biological systems.  Model organisms have been invaluable in deciphering many of these biological secrets.  One model, the honey bee (Apis mellifera), has been an important model for determining how ethanol (the basic form of alcohol) influences neurophysiological systems (Ammons and Hunt, 2008).  Through the design of an “inebriometer” and QTL (quantitative trait loci) genetic mapping, many genes influencing ethanol sensitivity in honey bees have been identified (Ammons and Hunt, 2008).  The honey bee is an excellent biomedical model because this species is easy to culture and able to produce thousands of clonal individuals.  It is also, however, a relevant ecological model that cannot be bred in the laboratory – retaining its unique genetic and behavioral identity.  Researching the physiology and genomics of ethanol sensitivity is a necessary step to understanding how ethanol affects the body, which could lead to pharmaceutical approaches to treating alcohol addiction and the effects of overconsumption of alcohol (hangovers).

Current Research Projects

• Honey bee navigation and the effects of drifting behavior (Alejandro Genis)
• The effects of ethyl oleate pheromone on alcohol sensitivity in honey bees (Nate O’Leary)
• Evolutionary genetics of the wasps, ants, and bees (Hymenoptera) (James Garcia)
• In-depth analysis of stn-B genetic polymorphisms in honey bees (Theo Kuchar)
• Drosophila and Apis innate immunity and infectious (bacterial) challenge (Daniel Hake, Ben Hochstetler, and James Garcia) – collaboration with Dr. Kris Schmidt (GC Biology)
• Isolation and analysis of aging/immunity gene polymophisms in nurse and forager honey bees (Theo Kuchar, Martin Banda, James Garcia, and Alejandro Genis)
• Exploring variations in DNA structure/sequence for ethanol sensitivity candidate genes in honey bees (Peter Martin and Lisa Weaver)
• Further analysis of the significance of the candidate gene, aldehyde dehydrogenase, from the alcohol sensitivity QTL (quantitative trait locus), (eth-3) (Peter Martin)
• Dissecting frozen bee brains and extracting mRNA for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to assay gene expression (Peter Martin, Lisa Weaver, Mike Zehr, Lynn Weaver, and Mara Swartzentruber)
• Identifying genetic polymorphisms in circadian rhythm genes between Italian and Carniolan subspecies of honey bee that affect behavioral activity (Mara Swartzentruber)
• Enzyme digests of circadian rhythm gene PCR products and further investigation of the role of the period gene in honey bee circadian rhythm (Lynn Weaver and Mara Swartzentruber)
• Investigating differences in physiological ethanol tolerance and alcohol preference between Carniolan and Italian subspecies of honey bees (Greg Thiessen and Lynn Weaver)
• Studying the effects of both ethanol vapor exposure and ethanol consumption on honey bee behavior and physiology (Greg Thiessen and Lynn Weaver)
• Identifying native bee species and correlating their presence or species composition to habitat characteristics at the Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center (Josh Yoder and Lydia Yoder)
• Goshen College historical fossil/rock collection organization and specimen identification (Reuben Ng and Peter Meyer Reimer)

Publications

Margotta, J., Mancinelli G., Benito A., Ammons, A., Roberts, S. and M. Elekonich. 2013.  Effects of flight on gene expression and aging in the honey bee brain and flight muscle.  Insects, 4: 9-30.

Ammons, A.  2011.  Application of integrative and intercultural pedagogies in Biological Principles I (BIOL 111) at Goshen College.  Peer Review of Teaching Project, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. (http://www.courseportfolio.org)

Ammons, A. and G. Hunt.  2008.  Identification of quantitative trait loci and candidate genes influencing ethanol sensitivity in honey bees.  Behavior Genetics, 38: 531-553.

Ammons, A. and G. Hunt.  2008.  Characterization of honey bee sensitivity to ethanol vapor and its correlation with aggression.  Alcohol, 42: 129-136.

Ammons, A.  December  2006.  A Hive of Activity: The 2006 XV Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI).  Bee Culture, 134, 12: 17-19.

Ammons, A. and G. Hunt.  May 2005.  Is there a connection between defensive behavior, alcohol sensitivity, and learning in honey bees?  In “Proceedings of the American Bee Research Conference.”  American Bee Journal, 145, 5: 428.