Jessie Mutz
Assistant Professor
Appointments
Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society
Biography
I am an evolutionary ecologist interested in how plants interact with other organisms, particularly herbivorous insects and belowground fungi. I study feedbacks that arise between traits of individuals (e.g., defenses, movement) and characteristics of populations (e.g., density, demographic structure), and ultimately the role these feedbacks play in driving ecological and evolutionary dynamics in natural systems. To do this, I integrate field studies, lab and greenhouse experiments, and mathematical models.
Education
Ph.D. Florida State University
B.A. University of Florida
Publications
Mutz, J. and K.C. Abbott. 2025. Life history modulates effects of inducible defenses on consumer-resource dynamics. The American Naturalist 205: 41-54.
Douglas, H.B., G. Hammond, T.W. Smith, J. Mutz, A.S. Konstantinov. 2024. Palaearctic flea beetle Phyllotreta ochripes (Curtis) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae), herbivore of Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard), new to North America. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e135576.
Mutz, J., J.S. Thaler, T.A. Ugine, B.D. Inouye, and N. Underwood. 2024. Predator densities alter the influence of non-consumptive effects on the population dynamics of an agricultural pest. Ecological Entomology 49(3): 306-318.
Mutz, J. and B.D. Inouye. 2023. Spatial and ontogenetic variance in local densities modify selection on demographic traits. Functional Ecology 37(6): 1628-1641.
Mutz, J., J.M. Heiling, M. Paniagua-Montoya, S.L. Halpern, B.D. Inouye, and N. Underwood. 2022. Some neighbors are better than others: variation in associational effects among plants in an old field community. Journal of Ecology 110(9): 2118-2131.
Mutz, J., R.W. McClory, L.J.A. van Dijk, J. Ehrlén, and A.J.M. Tack. 2021. Pathogen infection influences the relationship between spring and autumn phenology at the seedling and leaf level. Oecologia 197: 447-457.
Mutz, J., N. Underwood, and B.D. Inouye. 2020. Integrating top-down and bottom-up effects of density across scales and a complex life cycle. Ecology 101: e03118.
Mutz, J., N. Underwood, and B.D. Inouye. 2017. Time since disturbance affects colonization dynamics in a metapopulation. Journal of Animal Ecology 86: 1065-1073.
Contact