John Hranitz

John Hranitz is a Professor of Biology at Bloomsburg University, specializing in ecological genetics and physiological ecology of animals. His research spans amphibians, reptiles, and bees, with a focus on heterozygosity-fitness relationships, population genetic structure, and stress responses.

• Ph.D. in Biology, Mississippi State University

His work explores island dwarfism, coastal ecology, pollination systems, and vector-host relationships for West Nile Virus. Using techniques like microsatellite DNA genotyping and ELISA, he investigates how environmental factors shape physiological and behavioral traits in pollinators.

Recent publications highlight thermal tolerance in bees, pesticide impacts on honey bees, and pollination network dynamics. Collaborative NSF grants and funding from PASSHE support fieldwork in Greece and Turkey, emphasizing DNA sequencing methods for studying bee-plant interactions and mosquito vector ecology.

Hranitz mentors graduate students and co-leads interdisciplinary projects, including NSF REU programs for undergraduate research. His teaching portfolio includes courses in population biology, aging, and physiology laboratory work.