Amy Mertl

Amy has long been fascinated by the underlying patterns structuring the evolution and ecology of diverse insect groups. At Lesley, she teaches the following courses: Biology with Lab, Animal Behavior, and Ecology and Natural History.

Her current research involves investigating the diversity, ecology and structure of ant and termite communities in New England forests. This project currently engages Lesley students and community members in citizen science projects. Amy also has a background in using film and video as educational tools. She has co-produced several short documentaries through Project Documentary at CCTV, including “Ants” an award-winning short film on her favorite tiny subjects.

Amy holds a BS from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from Boston University.

Publications

Mertl AL, Ryder Wilkie KT, Constantino R, and Traniello JFA. 2012. Ecological associations of two species-rich insect taxa in the litter-layer of an Amazonian rainforest: is there a relationship between ants and termites? Psyche doi:10.1155/2012/312054
Mertl AL, Traniello JFA. 2011. Review of Ant Ecology, Lach L, Parr C and Abbott K (Eds.). For the Entomological Society of America
Mertl AL, Sorenson MD, Traniello JFA. 2010. Community-level interactions and functional ecology of major workers in the hyperdiverse ground-foraging Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) community of Amazonian Ecuador. Insectes Sociaux 57(4): 441-452
Mertl AL, Ryder Wilkie KT, Traniello JFA. 2009. Impact of flooding on the species richness, density and composition of Amazonian litter-nesting ants. Biotropica 41(5): 633-641
Mertl AL, Traniello JFA. 2009. Behavioral evolution in the major worker subcaste of twig- nesting Pheidole (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Does morphological specialization influence task plasticity? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 63(10): 1411-1426
Ryder Wilkie KT, Mertl AL, Traniello JFA. 2010. Species diversity and distribution patterns of the ants of Amazonian Ecuador. PLoS ONE 5(10): e13146.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0013146

In the News

The Somerville Times

Assistant Professor Amy Mertl highlights the need for trees in urban environments and the benefits to physical and mental health.

Mount Auburn Urban Ecosystem Project

Lesley and Mount Auburn Cemetery collaborate to create a model of citizen science research and education in an urban nature preserve.

Learn About Mt. Auburn Urban Ecosystem Project

Lesley-run afterschool program supports families, engages kids in environmental studies

Recreating the lab experience at home

Faculty and staff curated 170 unique lab packages for students to bring science alive during the pandemic and remote learning.

Read about the lab kits.

Publications

In the News

The public health benefits of urban trees

From bees to trees, Lesley researchers map Mount Auburn

Mount Auburn Urban Ecosystem Project

Wonder Lab embraces science, experimentation

Recreating the lab experience at home