Click here to see co-authorship guidelines that I've adopted in an effort to contribute to the decolonization & deimperialization of academia.
Here I am tirelessly (thank you, bird-friendly coffee!) working on iterative revisions at a coffee shop in New Orleans with my best friend, Sabrina. I love this shot for showcasing the quirkiness of NOLA coffee shops with the Christmas lights, poor insulation for the very short-lived 'winter' weather there, and the title of the book Sabrina was reading at the time.
Curriculum Vitae (.pdf) Google Scholar Profile
I am committed to producing open access (free) research products. Please find links to open access articles, and preprints below. Please find additional R code and data files at Github: http://github.com/mmacphe.
PUBLICATIONS AT PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS
16 total | 627 citations (last updated August 26th, 2022)
PREREGISTRATIONS IN REVIEW
To improve the retention of underrepresented minorities in science, I recommend that my mentees submit their research ideas as proposals in the preregistration format. See here to learn more about preregistering research, and here to learn about submitting a registered report to Peer Community. This helps my mentees to: 1) see themselves as a part of the broader scientific community, 2) create a vision for how they will complete their project, and 3) achieve a short-term goal that results in a tangible product (that has a DOI). Together, these points promote self-confidence to support retaining underrepresented minorities in science.
All of my group's past submitted preregistrations have passed pre-study peer review!
PREREGISTRATIONS THAT HAVE PASSED PRE-STUDY PEER REVIEW
25. Bowser, S., and M. MacPherson. A study on the role of social information sharing leading to range expansion in songbirds with large vocal repertoires: Enhancing our understanding of the Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) alarm call. Preregistration submitted to Peer Community in Ecology in December 2020. Revision requested in March, 2021; resubmitted May, 2021; Recommendation achieved in July 2021.
In principle acceptance: https://ecology.peercommunityin.org/articles/rec?id=183
Preprint URL: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/tpvfn
*This paper is led by an undergraduate student.
24. Folsom, M.A., M. MacPherson, D. Lukas, K.B. McCune, L. Bergeron, A. Bond, A. Blackwell, C. Rowney, C.J. Logan. 2020. Studying a rare behavior in a polygamous bird: male parental care in great-tailed grackles. Pre-registration submitted in December 2019. Revise and resubmit requested in March 2020. Resubmitted in April 2020. Revisions requested in May 2020. Resubmitted in June 2020. Recommendation achieved in June 2020.
In principle acceptance: https://ecology.peercommunityin.org/articles/rec?id=83
COMPLETED RESEARCH UNDERGOING POST-STUDY PEER REVIEW
23. Lukas D., K.B. McCune, A.P. Blaisdell, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, M. MacPherson, B.M. Seitz, A. Sevchick, C.J. Logan. Behavioral flexibility is manipulatable and it improves flexibility and problem solving in a new context: post-hoc analyses of the components of behavioral flexibility. Preprint DOI: 10.32942/osf.io/4ycps.
22. McCune, K.B., A.P. Blaisdell, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, D. Lukas, M. MacPherson. B.M. Seitz, A. Sevchik, C.J. Logan. Repeatability of performance within and across contexts measuring behavioral flexibility. Preprint DOI: 10.32942/osf.io/kevqp.
21. Logan C.J., D. Lukas, A.P. Blaisdell, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, M. MacPherson, B.M. Seitz, A. Sevchik, K.B. McCune. Behavioral flexibility is manipulatable and it improves flexibility and problem solvinig in a new context. Preprint DOI: 10.32942/osf.io/5z8xs.
MANUSCRIPTS IN PREPARATION FOR SUBMISSION
20. MacPherson M., and S. Bowser. Why do birds sometimes eat ice or snow? Hypotheses and evidence from the high desert to the high Arctic.
19. Donzeiser, L. and M. MacPherson. Spatial and Morphological Responses to Climate Change in a long-distance migratory songbird: the Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea). Preregistration preprint DOI: https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/v5xtp
*This paper is led by a high school student.
18. MacPherson, M., Burgio, K., van Rees, C., DeSaix, M., Slager, D., Jirinec, V., Herman, R., Herbert, J., Shonfield, J., Freeman, B., J. Jankowski. Assessing the uses of occurrence data in predicting avian responses to climate change.
17. MacPherson, M., K. Burgio, M.G. DeSaix, B. Freeman, V. Jirinec, J. Herbert, J. Shonfield, D. Slager, R. Herman, C. van Rees, and J. Jankowski. Predicting bird distributions under global change. BioRxiv, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.26.445867.
PUBLICATIONS AT PEER REVIEWED JOURNALS
16. Pacheco, M.A., F.C. Ferreira, C.J. Logan, K.B. McCune, M. MacPherson, S.A. Miranda, D. Santiago-Alarcon, A.A. Escalante. 2022. Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) as a tolerant host of avian malaria parasites. PLOS ONE. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268161.
15. Logan, C.J., K.B. McCune, M. MacPherson, Z. Johnson-Ulrich, C. Rowney, B. SeitzG, A.P. Blaisdell, D. Deffner, C.A.B. Wascher. 2022. Are the more flexible great-tailed grackles also better at behavioral inhibition? Animal Behavior and Cognition. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.09.01.03.2022.
14. LaRose, S.G, M. MacPherson, D. Lesmeister, H. Hackett, R. Perry, D. Sasse, M. Gompper. 2022. Predicted Distribution of Plains Spotted Skunk in Arkansas and Missouri. Journal of Wildlife Management. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.22165.
*This paper was led by a Master's student.
13. MacPherson, M., A.E., Jahn, J. DeFreitas, K. Looknauth, A. Wilson, L. Baird, K. DeFreitas, S. Chiasson, C.M. Taylor. 2021. Evidence of a trophic niche shift in an omnivorous migratory bird in South America: A comparison of stable isotope signatures from feathers between migratory and sedentary subspecies of Tyrannus savana. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1676/20-00134.
12. Blaisdell A., B. SeitzG, C. Rowney, M. FolsomU, M. MacPherson, D. Deffner, and C.J. Logan. 2021. Do the more flexible individuals rely more on causal cognition? Observation versus intervention in causal inference in great-tailed grackles. Peer Community Journal. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24072/pcjournal.44.
11. MacPherson, M., A.E. Jahn, and N.A. Mason. Morphology of migration: Associations between wing, and bill morphology and migration in kingbirds (Tyrannus). 2021. The Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. DOI: https://doi.orf/10.1093/biolinnean/blab123.
10. Seitz, B.M.G, K.B. McCune, M. MacPherson, L. Bergeron, A.P. Blaisdell, C.J. Logan. 2021. Using Touchscreen Equipped Operant Chambers to Study Comparative Cognition. Benefits, Limitations, and Advice. PLOS ONE, 16(2): e0246446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0246446.
*This paper was led by a Ph.D. student.
9. MacPherson, M., E. Webb, A. Raedeke, D. Mengel, and F. Nelson. 2018. A review of Bayesian belief networks as decision-support tools for wetland conservation: Are water birds potential umbrella taxa? Biological Conservation. Volume 226: 215-223. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.08.001.
8. MacPherson, M., A. Jahn, M. Murphy, D. Kim, V. Cueto, D. Tuero, and E. Hill. 2018. Follow the rain? Environmental drivers of Tyrannus migration across the New World. The Auk. Volume 135(4): 881-894. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1642/AUK-17-209.1.
*This article was amongst the American Ornithological Society Editors’ top 7 Picks from Summer 2018.
7. Jahn, A., V. Bejarano, M. Guzman, L. Brown, I. Provinciato, J. Cereghetti, V. Cueto, J. Giraldo, V. Gomez-Bahamon, M. Husak, H. LePage, M. MacPherson, M. Marini, M. Pizo, A. Quickle, D. Roeder, J. Sarasola and D. Tuero. 2017. Molting while breeding? Lessons from New World Tyrannus Flycatchers. Journal of Ornithology. Volume 158: 1061-1071. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-017-1464-5.
6. Jahn, A., N. Seavy, V. Bejarano, M. Guzman, I. Provinciato, M. Pizo, and M. MacPherson. 2016. Intra-tropical migration and wintering areas of Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus savana) breeding in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Ornithology. Volume 24(2): 116-121.
5. Jahn, A., J. Giraldo, M. MacPherson, D. Tuero, J. Sarasola, J. Cereghetti, D. Masson, and M. Morales. 2016. Demographic variation in timing and intensity of feather molt in migratory Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus s. savana). Journal of Field Ornithology. Volume 87(2): 143-154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jofo.12147.
4. Stanley, C., E. McKinnon, K. Fraser, M. MacPherson, G. Casbourn, L. Friesen, P. Marra, C. Studds, T. Ryder, N. Diggs, and B. Stutchbury. 2014. Connectivity of Wood Thrush breeding, wintering, and migration sites based on range-wide tracking. Conservation Biology. Volume 29(1): 164-174. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12352.
3. McKinnon, E., C. Stanley, K. Fraser, M. MacPherson, G. Casbourn, P. Marra, C. Studds, N. Diggs, and B. Stutchbury. 2012. Estimating geolocator accuracy for a migratory songbird using live ground-truthing in a tropical forest. Animal Migration. Volume 1: 31-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ami-2013-0001.
2. Stanley, C. § , M. MacPherson§ , K. Fraser, E. McKinnon, and B. Stutchbury. 2012. Repeat tracking of individual songbirds reveals consistent migration timing but flexibility in route. PLOSOne. Volume 7(7):e40688. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0040688.
§ These authors contributed equally to the work.
*This article is in the top 10% most cited from PLOSOne.
1. Stutchbury, B., E. Gow, T. Done, M. MacPherson, J. Fox, and V. Afanasyev. 2010. Effects of post-breeding moult and energetic condition on timing of songbird migration into the tropics. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Volume 278(1702): 131-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2010.1220.
*6th most cited paper from Royal Society B in 2011
BOOK CHAPTERS
1. Tuero, D.T., A.E. Jahn, and M. MacPherson. 2019. Bird Migration in South America: The Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana) as a Case Study. Chapter 7, pp. 133-154 in Reboreda, J.C., et al. Behavioral Ecology of Neotropical Birds. DOI: https://doi.orf/10.1007/978-3-030-14280-3_7.
SOLICITED PUBLICATIONS
1. Cueto, V.R., A.E. Jahn, D.T. Tuero, A.C. Guaraldo, J.H. Sarasola, S.P. Bravo. V. Gomez, J.I. Giraldo, D.A. Masson, M. MacPherson, and J.E. Jimenez. Febrero-Marzo. 2015. Las aves migratorias de America del Sur: Nuevas tecnicas revelan informacion sobre su comportamiento. Ciencia Hoy magazine, 24(142):19-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14280-3_7.