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 An adult grotto salamander  The emergence of a massive colony of Mexican Freetail bats in Oklahoma | I am interested in the community ecology of microhabitats. For example, I have investigated: (1) forest canopy communities inhabiting plant held waters (phytotelmata) in Madagascar, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador, (2) cave communities inhabiting subterranean waterways of the Ozarks, (3) termite mound communities of the Brazilian Cerrado, (4) leaf litter communities of the upper Amazon Basin, and (5) splash zone communities in xeric habitats of Central Brazil. I am particularly interested in environments that pose challenges to the organisms living there and the adaptations (physiological, morphological, and behavioral) observed in those organisms to meet the challenging circumstances. For example, forest canopies challenge organisms seeking to exploit those habitats in offering few sources of fresh water. Wind and direct exposure to bright sunlight enhance the effects of the circumstance. Plant held waters become key resources. I am interested in the community of organisms living in and around those resources and their solutions to challenges such as fluctuating water levels and drought. I am also interested in external factors that influence these communities. My Dissertation involved suggestions posed by the Amphibian Conservation Action Plan with regard to academic research that could help stem the tide of amphibian decline. Based on suggestions to improve our understanding of the ecology and taxonomy of "data deficient species," I worked on a species description and ecological papers for another two poorly known species. ACAP also suggested improving our understanding of the causes driving amphibian declines. In laboratory experimentation, I examined the common responses to heavy metals in tadpoles of two related frog species. I continue my work in documenting the ecology of subterranean communities in North America with an emphasis on the Ozarks and Arbuckles. My focus is the conservation of vulnerable subterranean species, particularly those that inhabit aquifers. |