Publications

Sharing discoveries from the Lee Lab

* indicates undergraduate student author

2025

*Henderson, P. A., Bloch Qazi, M., Lee, N., & Cole, E. S. (2025). Reproductive anatomy and embryogenesis of a viviparous, phonotactic, parasitoid fly. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, saaf021. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saaf021 (pdf)

[Media coverage: Innovations Report, True Facts – Ze Frank, Popular Science, Phys.org, St. Olaf News, Mandarinian News]

*Dominguez, J. A., Latham, B., *Bitner, L., *Mongui, L. C., *Rossinow, A., *Xiong, Y., *Schmidt, B. V., *Vu, Q., *Torres-Lopez, B. L., *Henderson, P. A., Mason, A. C., & Lee, N. (2025). Resource competition affects developmental outcomes of the acoustic parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, saaf018. https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saaf018 (pdf)

[*Media coverage: Popular Science, True Facts – Ze Frank, Phys.org, St. Olaf News]

Cover Feature:

Wikle, A. W., Broder, E. D., Gallagher, J. H., *Dominguez, J., *Carlson, M., *Vu, Q., Tinghitella, R. M., & Lee, N. (2025). Neural and behavioral evolution in an eavesdropper with a rapidly evolving host. Current Biology, 35(5), 1074-1084.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.01.019 (pdf)


2023

Lee, N., Vélez, A., & Bee, M. (2023). Behind the mask(ing): How frogs cope with noise. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 209(1), 47–66. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-022-01586-7 (pdf)

Cover Feature:

*Jirik, K. J., *Dominguez, J. A., *Abdulkarim, I., *Glaaser, J., *Stoian, E. S., *Almanza, L. J., & Lee, N. (2023). Parasitoid–host eavesdropping reveals temperature coupling of preferences to communication signals without genetic coupling. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290(2005), 20230775. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.0775 (pdf)

[Media coverage: Phys.org, St. Olaf News]



2020

Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., Lee, N., & Bee, M. A. (2020). Lung-to-ear sound transmission does not improve directional hearing in green treefrogs (Hyla cinerea). Journal of Experimental Biology, jeb.232421. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.232421 (pdf)

Cover Feature:


2019

Lee, N., *Kirtley, A., *Pressman, I., *Jirik, K., Koucoulas, D., & Mason, A. (2019). Developing a phonotaxis performance index to uncover signal selectivity in walking phonotaxis. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2019.00334 (pdf)

[Media coverage: PhysOrg, St. Olaf News, St. Olaf Magazine – Fall 2019 pgs 33-35]  


2017

Lee, N., Schrode, K. M., & Bee, M. A. (2017). Nonlinear processing of a multicomponent communication signal by combination-sensitive neurons in the anuran inferior colliculus. Journal of Comparative Physiology A-Neuroethology Sensory Neural and Behavioral Physiology, 203(9), 749–772. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-017-1195-3 (pdf)

Lee, N., & Mason, A. C. (2017). How spatial release from masking may fail to function in a highly directional auditory system. eLife, 6, e20731. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20731 (pdf)

[Media coverage: Gizmodo, Popular Mechanics [Russian Edition], TVO, Cantech Letter]

Lee, N., Ward, J. L., Vélez, A., Micheyl, C., & Bee, M. A. (2017). Frogs Exploit Statistical Regularities in Noisy Acoustic Scenes to Solve Cocktail-Party-like Problems. Current Biology, 27(5), 743–750. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.01.031 (pdf)

[Media coverage: Le Monde]


2016

Caldwell, M. S., Lee, N., & Bee, M. A. (2016). Inherent directionality determines spatial release from masking at the tympanum in a vertebrate with internally coupled ears. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, 17(4), 259–270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10162-016-0568-6 (pdf)


2014

Caldwell, M., Lee, N., Schrode, K., Johns, A., Christensen-Dalsgaard, J., & Bee, M. (2014). Spatial hearing in Cope’s gray treefrog: II. Frequency-dependent directionality in the amplitude and phase of tympanum vibrations. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-014-0883-5 (pdf)


2011

Howard, D. R., Lee, N., Hall, C. L., & Mason, A. C. (2011). Are Centrally Displaying Males Always the Centre of Female Attention? Acoustic Display Position and Female Choice in a Lek Mating Subterranean Insect. Ethology, 117(3), 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2010.01858.x (pdf)


2009

Lee, N., Elias, D. O., & Mason, A. C. (2009). A precedence effect resolves phantom sound source illusions in the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106(15), 6357–6362. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0809886106 (pdf)


2006

Elias, D. O., Lee, N., Hebets, E. A., & Mason, A. C. (2006). Seismic signal production in a wolf spider: Parallel versus serial multi-component signals. Journal of Experimental Biology, 209(6), 1074. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.02104 (pdf)


2005

Mason, A. C., Lee, N., & Oshinsky, M. L. (2005). The start of phonotactic walking in the fly Ormia ochracea: A kinematic study. Journal of Experimental Biology, 208(24), 4699–4708. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01926 (pdf)