Movement of gopher frogs on the conecuh national forest
The research for my Ph.D. dissertation concerns Gopher Frog movement, habitat use, community ecology, and conservation genetics at the Conecuh National Forest in Southeastern Alabama. I am conducting egg mass surveys, call surveys, dip net surveys, and refugia surveys, and using radiotelemetry to track movement and refugia use of one of the last breeding populations of Gopher Frogs in the state.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL DNA ASSAY FOR RIO GRANDE SIRENS
In the research for my master’s thesis, I developed an eDNA assay for detection of Rio Grande Sirens, a subspecies of lesser siren found only in south Texas. I developed assays for qPCR and PCR, and compared eDNA filter types/sizes, eDNA effectiveness compared to trapping, and the influences of environmental variables and seasonality on detection.
aSSESSMENT OF SIREN SPECIES DIFFERENCES IN TEXAS
Sirens in Texas are split into two subspecies: Siren intermedia nettingi in east Texas, and Siren intermedia texana in south Texas. Not much is known about siren biology and taxonomy. Sirens in south Texas are much larger than those in east Texas, and I am assisting with a project working to discern the differences between the two, both genetically and morphologically.
Spatiotemporal interactions of mesocarnivores
I assessed mesocarnivore populations at the Wilds in Cumberland, Ohio. This area is natural, reclaimed mineland that has recently been recolonized by bobcats, which were previously extirpated from the state. I looked at how bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, and opossums share space throughout the property via 50 camera traps set in a 500m grid.