Status of the BLack-spotted Newt in Texas

The Black-spotted Newt (Notophthalmus meridionalis) is a candidate species for federal listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Habitat loss and degradation have contributed to the decline of this species and the expansion of urbanization and agriculture may threaten remaining populations. Understanding the current distribution of this species is challenging due to the ephemeral nature of the aquatic habitats used and long periods when this species is underground. We have developed an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay to survey for this species across their historic distribution in the state and to better characterize the habitats they use in order for best management practices to be developed for this species.

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DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF Rio Grande CooteRS

The Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi) is currently being considered for federal listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and information on the status and distribution of this species is lacking. I am collaborating with researchers at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to test novel approaches to census and detect the Rio Grande Cooter across its distribution in Rio Grande, Pecos River, and their tributaries. We have used drone-based imaging and environmental DNA (eDNA) to survey and detect this species with success. Preliminary data shows that drone-based imaging can produce easily identifiable images of both basking and swimming turtles in a wide range of habitat utilized by this species.

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Effects of Agriculture on Species and Habitats

Throughout the Midwest, agricultural contaminants are present in wetlands and may be responsible in part for regional amphibian declines. A local factor contributing to elevated levels of contaminants in these wetlands is the presence of agricultural tile drains. These tile drains promote crop growth by removing excess water and salts from fields; however, it can also transport contaminants (e.g., pesticides, fertilizers, metals) directly into nearby wetlands at concentrations above benchmarks for the protection of aquatic life. Much of my dissertation aims to examine the effects of this tile drain effluent on water quality, wetland habitat quality, and wetland-dependent taxa (i.e., amphibians, aquatic invertebrates).

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Stress Physiology

Both natural and anthropogenic stressors are known to affect stress hormone production in amphibians. Traditionally, hormones have been measured via plasma collection or whole-body assays, but alternatives such as urinary collection have been developed. For a portion of my thesis work, I helped to develop novel methods to collect water-borne hormones from small aquatic salamanders. I am interested in using these methods to assess stress in individuals from both experimental laboratory comparing individual responses to stressors, and field settings to compare population-level responses to large-scale habitat disturbance. I am currently involved in projects examining the role of urbanization, agricultural development, predators, contaminants, and disease play in influencing stress hormone levels.

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Amphibian Diseases

Emerging infectious diseases such as chytridiomycosis (caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) and ranavirosis are well-known factors which are contributing to global amphibian declines. I am interested in both the lethal and sub-lethal effects (i.e., behavioral changes, reduced growth, delayed development) of these pathogens on amphibians as well as the effects of infection on the stress hormone response of individuals. I am currently surveying for these pathogens in the Northern Great Plains, and am using both field-based and experimental studies to better understand their effects on amphibians. Additionally, I have expanded my involvement in efforts to screen amphibians for these pathogens in Oklahoma, West Virginia, and in southeast Asia.

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Predator-Prey Interactions

Predation is a dominant element of ecological communities. The introduction of novel predatory fish into environments has been particularly problematic and has lead to significant declines in amphibian populations. I am broadly interested in how amphibians respond to novel predators and the sensory modalities mediating these interactions. Additionally, I am interested in the role of innate and learned predator recognition as well as predator generalization play in the recognition of novel predators. The majority of my work investigating these topics has involved fully-aquatic Eurycea salamanders of central Texas, most of which are highly endemic and are state and federally protected.

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Interactive Effects of Multiple Stressors

Due to increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance, it is important to understand how these disturbances act as stressors. These anthropogenic disturbances such as habitat modification, contaminants, introduced species, and pathogens are all recognized as stressors that act on individuals and act in combination with natural stressors. The combinations of multiple stressors can have additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects on organisms. Even if the effects of a particular stressor are known, it may be difficult to anticipate its effects when additional stressors are present. I am currently investigating the interactions of contaminants, habitat degradation, pathogens, and stress hormones in populations of larval Western Tiger Salamanders.

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Status of False Map Turtles in South Dakota

Beginning in 2017, I have become involved in survey work examining the status of False Map Turtles (Graptemys pseudogeographica) in South Dakota. Specifically, we’re looking to see if this species is still present in Lake Oahe, a large reservoir along the Missouri River, north of Pierre. Daming of the Missouri River and the formation of large reservoirs has resulted in habitat degradation and loss, and likely the extirpation of this species form a large part of their historic range. Initial results from 2017 suggest this species is extirpated from Lake Oahe; however, this species still remains numerous from free-flowing, more natural segments of the Missouri River, such as the 59-mile Missouri National Recreational River from Yankton to Sioux City.

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Mud Turtle ecology in the Chihuahuan desert

In 2007 I became involved in several research projects examining different aspects of the ecology of the Yellow Mud Turtle (Kinosternon flavescens) in the Chihuahuan Desert of west Texas. We have been studying population demographics, growth, movement, phenology, and a novel shell disease in these turtles on C. E. Miller Ranch. Historically, these turtles relied on ephemeral pools that filled for short periods of time after summer rains and once these sites dried out, these turtles move back to upland terrestrial habitats. However, the presence of permanent, well-filled cattle ponds has allowed these turtles to remain in these habitats for prolonged periods of times, influencing growth their growth and subsequently the progression of an algae-mediated shell disease.

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Morphological and Genetic Variation Among Populations of Plethodon albagula

The Western Slimy Salamander (Plethodon albagula) is recognized as having two disjunct ranges, one on the Edwards Plateau of Central Texas and the other within the Interior Highlands of Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Morphological and genetic variation has been found within the Edwards Plateau among several different lineages, though less is known about the Interior Highlands population. Currently, I am examining both morphological and genetic variation within the Interior Highlands populations and between these two broadly distributed populations, and plan to expand these studies to include ecological perspectives.

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Distributions of Amphibians and Reptiles in South Dakota

Current understanding of the distributions of amphibians and reptiles in South Dakota is limited compared to that of many other vertebrate groups in the state. Continuing increases in human population, conversion of grasslands to agriculture, and habitat degradation all likely have strong negative impacts South Dakota’s amphibian and reptile species, but their effects are difficult to track because of limited historic and modern sampling. I am currently working to update the known distributions of all South Dakota amphibian and reptile species and have compiled a database of over 14,400 specimens to better map these distributions. For additional information on this project visit: www.sdherps.org.

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Philippine Amphibian and Reptile Diversity

The Philippines is home to a remarkable diversity of amphibians and reptiles, the majority (~75%) of which are endemic to this island archipelago. Recent studies of the archipelago’s terrestrial biodiversity have dramatically increased the number of recognized species, often as the result of identification of unique genetic lineages. Species once recognized to have wide distributions that spanned multiple faunal regions have more recently been revealed to constitute complexes of multiple species, each of which is typically restricted to a specific faunal region, island group, or complex geographic regions. I have been collaborating with researchers to help describe this incredible species diversity and resolve taxonomic issues with newly collected morphological and molecular datasets. Two focal genera that I have been working with are Brachymeles (Scincidae) and Pseudogekko (Gekkonidae).

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Natural History of Amphibians and Reptiles

Another avenue of research which I have a particular interest in is natural history. While many people favor ‘hypothesis-driven’ studies, there is a paucity of information about a vast number of amphibian and reptile species. Particularly, little is known about species which have limited geographic ranges, are infrequently encountered, or are of conservation concern. Further, many ecological questions can only be fully understood with an intimate knowledge about the species involved and often, this information is lacking. As part of on-going research projects, I attempt to increase our understanding of the natural history of species. With increases in our understanding of species’ natural history, we can better manage populations and species which are of interest.

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