Faculty Bio

Dr. Mary Ann McLean

Emeritus Professor, Biology

After various adventures as a postdoc in Finland (looks just like cottage country in Canada but you can’t read any signs), New York (an old estate turned into a biological research station with wonderful birds & plants) & Kentucky (magnolias with huge flowers) I found a temporary home in Indiana (fabulous place to garden for a Canadian!) where I taught & researched for 7 years. It was a delight to return to Canada in 2008 joining StMU for the next 15 years. I’ve really enjoyed working with students over the years, particularly on their senior projects.

In retirement I finally have time to write up some of the data from those senior projects for publication. I’m also looking forward to more successes this year with the Sustainability/Environment Committee here on campus.

Specialization/Research Interest

Community ecology, Microbiology, Mycology, Soil ecology

Education

PhD, Soil Ecology, University of Calgary, 1997
MSc, Soil Ecology, University of Calgary, 1991
BSc, Soil Science, University of Guelph, 1987

  • McLean, M.A., *Browne, A.E., and *Hernandez, A. Reproduction of Thesium ramosum by seed and cuttings. In prep.
  • McLean, M.A., *Harder, E., and *Browne, A.E. Parasitism by the Eurasian invasive hemi-parasite Thesium ramosum of native and alien plant species in Alberta, Canada. In prep.
  • Sosiak, C., *Timonera, T.J., *Velasco, F., *Raithby, A., McLean, M.A. 2024. Native ants vary in their use of seeds of an exotic plant recently introduced into Calgary, Alberta. Submitted to Environmental Entomology.
  • Larsen, K. and McLean, M.A. 2018. Creating a dichotomous key: pattern recognition in plants for Intro Biology. Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Vol 39, article 35, 5 p
  • McLean, M.A., McLeod, E., *Pronovost, K. 2018. A Clean Energy Teaching Tool: Microbial Fuel Cells. Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching, Proceedings of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education, Vol 39, article 39, 10 p
  • McLean, M.A. and Grothman, G. 2015, Kill the Aliens: Controlling leafy spurge, a case study published by the National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, University at Buffalo, SUNY, 13 pp.
  • McLean, M.A. 2013. Cheap and Easy Diversity for Introductory Biology. ABLE Proceedings Vol 35, 19 pp
  • Francis-Poscente, K., McLean, M.A., Clay, M., Grothman, G., Braverman, L. 2011. Pre-service teachers’ experiences Co-teaching with scientists in Discovering Science. Proceedings of the 2011 Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education
  • McLean, M.A., S. Migge-Kleian and D. Parkinson. 2006. Earthworm invasion of ecosystems devoid of earthworms: effects on soil microbes. Biological Invasions, 8: 1257-1273
  • Migge-Kleian, S., M.A. McLean, J. Maerz and L. Heneghan. 2006. Influence of invasive earthworms on indigenous fauna in ecosystems previously uninhabited by earthworms. Biological Invasions, 8: 1275-1285
  • McLean, M.A., M.J. Angilletta Jr. and K.S. *Williams. 2005. If you can’t stand the heat stay out of the city: thermal adaptation by chitinolytic soil fungi. Journal of Thermal Biology 30: 384-391
  • Bohlen, P.J., Scheu, S., Hale, C.M., McLean, M.A., Migge, S., Groffman, P.M. and Parkinson, D. 2005. Non-native invasive earthworms as agents of change in northern temperate forests. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2(8): 427-435
  • Setälä, H. and McLean, M.A. 2004. Decomposition rate of organic substrates in relation to the species diversity of soil saprophytic fungi. Oecologia 139(1): 98-107
  • McLean, M.A. and V. Huhta. 2002. Microfungal community structure in anthropogenic birch stands in central Finland. Biology & Fertility of Soils. 35: 1-12
  • McLean, M.A. and V. Huhta. 2000. Temporal and spatial fluctuations in moisture affect microfungal community structure in microcosms. Biology & Fertility of Soils. 32: 114-119
  • McLean, M.A. and D. Parkinson. 2000. Introduction of the epigeic earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra changes the oribatid community and microarthropod abundances in a pine forest. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. 32: 1671-1681
  • McLean, M.A. and D. Parkinson. 2000. Field evidence of the effects of the epigeic earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra on the microfungal community in pine forest floor. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. 32: 351-360
  • Kaneko, N., M.A. McLean, and D. Parkinson. 1998. Do mites and Collembola affect litter fungal biomass and microbial activity? Applied Soil Ecology. 9: 209-213
  • McLean, M.A. and D. Parkinson. 1998. Impacts of the epigeic earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra on microfungal community structure in pine forest floor: a mesocosm study. Applied Soil Ecology. 8: 61-75
  • McLean, M.A. and D. Parkinson. 1998. Impacts of the epigeic earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra on oribatid community diversity and microarthropod abundances in pine forest floor: a mesocosm study. Applied Soil Ecology 7: 125-136
  • McLean, M.A. and D. Parkinson. 1997. Soil impacts of the epigeic earthworm Dendrobaena octaedra on organic matter and microbial activity in lodgepole pine forest. Can. J. For. Res. 27: 1907-1913
  • McLean, M.A. and D. Parkinson. 1997. Changes in structure, organic matter and microbial activity in a pine forest soil following the introduction of Dendrobaena octaedra (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae). Soil Biol. Biochem. 29: 537-540
  • McLean, M.A., D.U. *Kolodka and D. Parkinson. 1996. Survival and growth of Dendrobaena octaedra (Savigny) in pine forest floor materials. Pedobiologia 40: 281-288
  • McLean, M.A., N. Kaneko and D. Parkinson. 1996. Do mites and collembola affect litter fungal community structure? Pedobiologia 40: 97-105
  • Kaneko, N., M.A. McLean and D. Parkinson. 1995. Grazing preference of Onychiurus subtenuis (Collembola) and Oppiella nova (Oribatei) for fungi inoculated on pine needle litter. Pedobiologia 39: 538-546
  • Seifert, K.A., J.C. Frisvad and M.A. McLean. 1994. Penicillium kananaskensis, a new species from Alberta soil. Can. J. Bot. 72: 20-24
  • Parkinson, D., M.A. McLean, and S. Scheu. 2004. Impacts of earthworms on other biota in forest soils, with some emphasis on cool temperate montane forests. In: Earthworm Ecology. 2nd edition, C.A. Edwards, ed. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, Iowa. pp. 241-259
  • Parkinson, D. and M.A. McLean. 1998. Impacts of earthworms on the community structure of other biota in forest soils. In: Earthworm Ecology. C.A. Edwards, ed. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny, Iowa. pp. 213-226