Felicia Keesing

Felicia Keesing (born January 24, 1966) is an

American ecologist and the David & Rosalie Rose Felicia Keesing
Distinguished Chair of the Sciences, Mathematics, and
Computing at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson,
New York.[1]

Education
Keesing received her B.S. in Symbolic Systems from
Stanford University in 1987 and her Ph.D. in
Integrative Biology from the University of California
at Berkeley in 1997.

Keesing in Kenya in 2012

Research
Born January 24, 1966
Keesing's research focuses on the consequences of Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
human impacts, particularly biodiversity loss, for Alma mater Stanford University · University of
ecological communities. In Kenya, she has studied California, Berkeley
how the absence of large mammals like giraffes and Occupation Biologist
elephants affects savanna ecology.[2][3] She and
Awards Presidential Early Career Award
Richard Ostfeld pioneered research on the ecology of
for Scientists and Engineers ·
Lyme disease, in particular how human risk for Lyme
International Cosmos Prize ·
disease is affected by forest fragmentation and the loss
Guggenheim Fellowship · C. Hart
of biodiversity.[4] She and Ostfeld also developed core
Merriam Award
ideas about the general relationship between
biodiversity loss and the emergence and transmission Scientific career

of infectious diseases,[5] and a conceptual model of the Institutions Bard College

effects of pulsed resources on ecological
communities.[6]

From 2016 to 2021, she and Ostfeld co-directed the Tick Project, a study to test whether environmental
interventions could prevent Lyme and other tick-borne diseases in residential neighborhoods of Dutchess
County, New York.[7]

Keesing's recent research in Kenya focuses on the ecological, economic, and social consequences of
managing land in Laikipia County, Kenya for livestock, wildlife, or both.[8]

In 2009, she served on the steering committee for the Vision and Change[9] initiative to reform the
teaching of undergraduate biology, and from 2012 to 2017, with funding from the Howard Hughes
Medical Institute, she directed a project on science literacy for college students. In 2017, she led the
development of the curriculum for the Citizen Science program[10] at Bard College.

Awards and recognition

Keesing received a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and a Presidential Early Career Award
for Scientists and Engineers in 1999. She is a fellow of the Ecological Society of America (2019)[11] and
a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2021).[12] In 2022, she was
awarded the International Cosmos Prize.[13] Keesing was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2023,[14]
and received the C. Hart Merriam award from the American Society of Mammalogists in 2024 in
recognition of "outstanding research in mammalogy over a period of at least 10 years".

Selected publications
Keesing, F. (2000). "Cryptic consumers and the ecology of an African savanna" (https://doi.o
rg/10.1641%2F0006-3568%282000%29050%5B0205%3ACCATEO%5D2.3.CO%3B2).
BioScience. 50 (3): 205–215. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2000)050[0205:CCATEO]2.3.CO;2 (ht
tps://doi.org/10.1641%2F0006-3568%282000%29050%5B0205%3ACCATEO%5D2.3.CO%
3B2). S2CID 53000884 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:53000884).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Keesing, F. (2000). "Biodiversity and disease risk: the case of Lyme disease".
Conservation Biology. 14 (3): 1–7. Bibcode:2000ConBi..14..722O (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.
edu/abs/2000ConBi..14..722O). doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.99014.x (https://doi.org/10.1
046%2Fj.1523-1739.2000.99014.x). S2CID 3918917 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/Corpu
sID:3918917).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Keesing, F. (2000). "Pulsed resources and generalist consumers". Trends in
Ecology and Evolution. 15 (6): 232–237. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(00)01862-0 (https://doi.or
g/10.1016%2FS0169-5347%2800%2901862-0). PMID 10802548 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/10802548).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Keesing, F. (2000). "The function of biodiversity in the ecology of vector-borne
zoonotic diseases". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78: 2061–2078. doi:10.1139/z00-172 (http
s://doi.org/10.1139%2Fz00-172).
Allan, B.F.; Ostfeld, R.S.; Keesing, F. (2003). "The effect of habitat fragmentation on Lyme
disease risk". Conservation Biology. 17: 267–272. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2003.01260.x (h
ttps://doi.org/10.1046%2Fj.1523-1739.2003.01260.x). S2CID 34910516 (https://api.semanti
cscholar.org/CorpusID:34910516).
LoGiudice, K.; Ostfeld, R.S.; Schmidt, K.; Keesing, F. (2003). "The ecology of infectious
disease: Effects of host diversity and community composition on Lyme disease risk" (https://
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC141036). Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. 100 (2): 567–571. doi:10.1073/pnas.0233733100 (https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpna
s.0233733100). PMC 141036 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC141036).
PMID 12525705 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12525705).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Glass, G.E.; Keesing, F. (2005). "Spatial epidemiology: an emerging (or re-
emerging discipline)". Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 20 (6): 328–336.
doi:10.1016/j.tree.2005.03.009 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.tree.2005.03.009).
PMID 16701389 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16701389).
Keesing, F.; Holt, R.D.; Ostfeld, R.S. (2006). "Effects of species diversity on disease risk".
Ecology Letters. 9 (4): 485–498. Bibcode:2006EcolL...9..485K (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.ed
u/abs/2006EcolL...9..485K). doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2006.00885.x (https://doi.org/10.111
1%2Fj.1461-0248.2006.00885.x). PMID 16623733 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/166237
33).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Canham, C.D.; Oggenfuss, K.; Winchcombe, R.J.; Keesing, F. (2006).
"Climate, deer, rodents, and acorns as determinants of variation in Lyme-disease risk" (http
s://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1457019). PLOS Biology. 4 (6): e145.
doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040145 (https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.0040145).
PMC 1457019 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1457019). PMID 16669698
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16669698).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Keesing, F.; Eviner, V.T. (2008). Infectious Disease Ecology: Effects of
Ecosystems on Disease and of Disease on Ecosystems. Princeton University Press.
Keesing, F.; Belden, L.; Daszak, P.; Dobson, A.; Harvell, D.; Holt, R.D.; Hudson, P.; Jolles,
A.; Jones, K.; Mitchell, C.; Myers, S.; Bogich, T.; Ostfeld, R. (2010). "Impacts of biodiversity
on the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p
mc/articles/PMC7094913). Nature. 468 (7324): 647–652. Bibcode:2010Natur.468..647K (htt
ps://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010Natur.468..647K). doi:10.1038/nature09575 (https://doi.
org/10.1038%2Fnature09575). PMC 7094913 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P
MC7094913). PMID 21124449 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21124449).
Ogada, D.; Keesing, F.; Virani, M. (2012). "Dropping dead: causes and consequences of
vulture population declines worldwide". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1249
(1): 57–71. Bibcode:2012NYASA1249...57O (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2012NYASA
1249...57O). doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.06293.x (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1749-663
2.2011.06293.x). PMID 22175274 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22175274).
S2CID 23734331 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:23734331).
Keesing, F.; Young, T.P. (2014). "Cascading consequences of the loss of large mammals in
an African savanna" (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbiosci%2Fbiu059). BioScience. 64 (6):
487–495. doi:10.1093/biosci/biu059 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbiosci%2Fbiu059).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Levi, T.; Jolles, A.E.; Martin, L.B.; Hosseini, P.R.; Keesing, F. (2014). "Life
history and demographic drivers of reservoir competence for three tick-borne zoonotic
pathogens" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4169396). PLOS ONE. 9 (9):
e107387. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...9j7387O (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014PLoSO...
9j7387O). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0107387 (https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0107
387). PMC 4169396 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4169396).
PMID 25232722 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25232722).
Keesing, F.; Ostfeld, R.S. (2015). "Is biodiversity good for your health?". Science. 349
(6245): 235–236. Bibcode:2015Sci...349..235K (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2015Sc
i...349..235K). doi:10.1126/science.aac7892 (https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.aac7892).
PMID 26185230 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26185230). S2CID 206640473 (https://ap
i.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:206640473).
Ostfeld, R.S.; Levi, T.; Keesing, F.; Oggenfuss, K.; Canham, C.D. (2018). "Tick-borne
disease risk in a forest food web". Ecology. 99 (7): 1562–1573.
Bibcode:2018Ecol...99.1562O (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018Ecol...99.1562O).
doi:10.1002/ecy.2386 (https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fecy.2386). PMID 29738078 (https://pubm
ed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29738078). S2CID 13684579 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:
13684579).
Keesing, F.; Ostfeld, R.S.; Okanga, S.; Huckett, S.; Bayles, B.R.; Chaplin-Kramer, R.;
Fredericks, L.P.; Hedlund, T.; Kowal, V.; Tallis, H.; Warui, C.M.; Wood, S.A.; Allan, B.F.
(2018). "Consequences of integrating livestock and wildlife in an African savanna". Nature
Sustainability. 1 (10): 566–573. Bibcode:2018NatSu...1..566K (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.ed
u/abs/2018NatSu...1..566K). doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0149-2 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs4
1893-018-0149-2). S2CID 134201534 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:13420153
4).
Keesing, F.; Ostfeld, R.S. (2021). "Impacts of biodiversity and biodiversity loss on zoonotic
diseases" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8092607). Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences. 118 (17): e2023540118. Bibcode:2021PNAS..11823540K (h
ttps://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021PNAS..11823540K). doi:10.1073/pnas.2023540118 (h
 ttps://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.2023540118). PMC 8092607 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p
mc/articles/PMC8092607). PMID 33820825 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33820825).
Bahl, R.; Eikmeier, N.; Fraser, A.; Junge, M.; Keesing, F.; Nakahata, K.; Reeves, L. (2021).
"Modeling COVID-19 spread in small colleges" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P
MC8372956). PLOS ONE. 16 (8): e0255654. arXiv:2008.09597 (https://arxiv.org/abs/2008.0
9597). Bibcode:2021PLoSO..1655654B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021PLoSO..16
55654B). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0255654 (https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.02556
54). PMC 8372956 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8372956).
PMID 34407115 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34407115).
Keesing, F.; Ostfeld, R.S. (2021). "Dilution effects in disease ecology" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9291114). Ecology Letters. 24 (11): 2490–2505.
Bibcode:2021EcolL..24.2490K (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021EcolL..24.2490K).
doi:10.1111/ele.13875 (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fele.13875). PMC 9291114 (https://www.n
cbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9291114). PMID 34482609 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.g
ov/34482609). S2CID 237423713 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:237423713).
Keesing, F.; Mowry, S.; Bremer, W.; Duerr, S.; Evans Jr., A.S.; Fischhoff, I.; Hinckley, A.F.;
Hook, S.A.; Keating, F.; Pendleton, J.; Pfister, A.; Teator, M.; Ostfeld, R.S. (2022). "Effects of
tick-control interventions on tick abundance, human encounters with ticks, and incidence of
tick-borne diseases in residential neighborhoods" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article
s/PMC9045441). Emerging Infectious Diseases. 28 (5): 957–966.
doi:10.3201/eid2805.211146 (https://doi.org/10.3201%2Feid2805.211146). PMC 9045441
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9045441). PMID 35447066 (https://pubmed.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35447066).

References
1. "Felicia Keesing" (https://www.bard.edu/faculty/details/?id=463).
2. Keesing, Felicia (2000). "Cryptic consumers and the ecology of an African savanna" (https://
doi.org/10.1641%2F0006-3568%282000%29050%5B0205%3ACCATEO%5D2.3.CO%3B
2). BioScience. 50 (3): 205–215. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2000)050[0205:CCATEO]2.3.CO;2
(https://doi.org/10.1641%2F0006-3568%282000%29050%5B0205%3ACCATEO%5D2.3.C
O%3B2). S2CID 53000884 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:53000884).
3. Keesing, Felicia; Young, Truman P. (2014). "Cascading consequences of the loss of large
mammals in an African savanna" (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbiosci%2Fbiu059).
BioScience. 64 (6): 487–495. doi:10.1093/biosci/biu059 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fbiosci%
2Fbiu059).
4. Keesing, Felicia; Ostfeld, Richard S. (2000). "Biodiversity series: the function of biodiversity
in the ecology of vector-borne zoonotic diseases". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 78 (12):
2061–2078. doi:10.1139/z00-172 (https://doi.org/10.1139%2Fz00-172).
5. Keesing, Felicia; Ostfeld, Richard S. (2021). "Impacts of biodiversity and biodiversity loss on
zoonotic diseases" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8092607). Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences. 118 (17): e2023540118.
Bibcode:2021PNAS..11823540K (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021PNAS..11823540
K). doi:10.1073/pnas.2023540118 (https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas.2023540118).
PMC 8092607 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8092607). PMID 33820825
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33820825).
6. Keesing, Felicia; Ostfeld, Richard S. (2000). "Pulsed resources and community dynamics of
consumers in terrestrial ecosystems". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 15 (6): 232–237.
doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(00)01862-0 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0169-5347%2800%2901
862-0). PMID 10802548 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10802548).
 7. Keesing, F.; Mowry, S.; Bremer, W.; Duerr, S.; Evans Jr., A.S.; Fischhoff, I.; Hinckley, A.F.;
Hook, S.A.; Keating, F.; Pendleton, J.; Pfister, A.; Teator, M.; Ostfeld, R.S. (2022). "Effects of
Tick-Control Interventions on Tick Abundance, Human Encounters with Ticks, and Incidence
of Tickborne Diseases in Residential Neighborhoods" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti
cles/PMC9045441). Emerging Infectious Diseases. 28 (5): 957–966.
doi:10.3201/eid2805.211146 (https://doi.org/10.3201%2Feid2805.211146). PMC 9045441
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9045441). PMID 35447066 (https://pubmed.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35447066).
8. Keesing, F.; Ostfeld, R.S.; Okanga, S.; Huckett, S.; Bayles, B.R.; Chaplin-Kramer, R.;
Fredericks, L.P.; Hedlund, T.; Kowal, V.; Tallis, H.; Warui, C.M.; Wood, S.A.; Allan, B.F.
(2018). "Consequences of integrating livestock and wildlife in an African savanna". Nature
Sustainability. 1 (10): 566–573. Bibcode:2018NatSu...1..566K (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.ed
u/abs/2018NatSu...1..566K). doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0149-2 (https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs4
1893-018-0149-2). S2CID 134201534 (https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:13420153
4).
9. "Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education » Advisory Board" (https://visionan
dchange.org/advisory-board/).
10. Relations, Bard Public. "Bard Biology Professor Felicia Keesing Among Leading Scientists
Featured in Sir David Attenborough's Documentary EXTINCTION – THE FACTS, Which
Debuts on PBS March 31" (https://www.bard.edu/news/details/?id=17607&prefurl=felicia-ke
esing-among-leading-scientists-featured-in-sir-david-attenboroughs-documentary-on-extincti
on-03-29). www.bard.edu.
11. "ESA Fellows – the Ecological Society of America" (https://www.esa.org/about/awards/fellow
s-program/esa-fellows/).
12. "AAAS Honorary Fellows | American Association for the Advancement of Science" (https://w
ww.aaas.org/fellows).
13. "International Cosmos Prizewinners" (https://www.expo-cosmos.or.jp/english/cosmos/jyusyo
u/).
14. "All Fellows – John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation…" (https://www.gf.org/all-fello
ws/). Retrieved 2024-06-17.

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