Liberal Arts and Sciences
Keiser Lab
Led by Nick Keiser · Biology
What we study
The Keiser Lab studies how differences in animal behavior affect the spread of infectious diseases. They observe and experimentally test host behaviors to see how they change infection patterns across individuals, groups, and ecosystems.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Wild animals
- No coding
- Project
- 1
Current projects
Testing the Effects of Pathogenic Fungal Infections on Spider Behavior
Researchers exposed jumping spiders (Lyssomanes viridis) to two fungi, Gibellula and Metarhizium, and compared their death rates to spiders that were not infected. They also watched for a deathbed silk structure that might help the fungi spread. The study found that both fungi shortened spider lifespans and that one spider made a deathbed, suggesting the fungus may change spider behavior before it
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 267
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
How to reach out
Nick Keiser hasn't set up this page yet. You can also look them up in the UF directory (search “Nick Keiser”).