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Professor of Biology |
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Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas 77341 |
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Professor of Biology |
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Sam Houston State University Huntsville, Texas 77341 |
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Education:
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Ph.D. in Zoology, May 1993, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. Dissertation title: Chromosomal aberrancy and organochlorine pesticide bioaccumulation in the Mexican free-tailed bat: A comparison between Oklahoma and New Mexico populations. Research included body burden and cytogenetic effects of organochlorine pesticide contamination in the Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis, and demographic and genetic biomonitoring of small mammal populations exposed to environmental contaminants. M.S. in Biology, December 1987, from the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond. Thesis title: Spatial distribution of Neotoma micropus nests in southwestern Oklahoma. Research focused on ecology, activity patterns and habitat preferences of a population of the southern plains woodrat. B.S. in Biology, December 1985, from the University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond. Undergraduate specialization in field biology. |
Research Interests and Activities:
“A key to the skulls of North American mammals, 3rd edition”: Developed in cooperation with Dr. Bryan P. Glass, Professor Emeritus, Oklahoma State University, the updated text with approximately 175 redrawn figures is being self-published.
Current research focuses on field
studies of West Nile Virus, Dengue Fever, and Chagas’ Disease at points along
the Texas-Mexico border between McAllen and Brownsville; establishment of
the Sam Houston Disease Vector Program with its associated BioSafety Level
2 (BSL2) Diagnostic Laboratory for handling material collected in field
projects; and implementation of in-depth field sampling of vectors and reservoirs.
Small mammal surveys, including recently completed projects for two Texas Army National Guard training sites, which incorporate comprehensive survey of the mammals present on both sites.
Application of vertebrate anatomy and environmental toxicology to forensic studies. Recent work includes an atlas and key of terrestrial mammals for the state of Texas with scanning electron micrographs ( Anica Debelica , MS in Biology).
Ecological studies of the Mexican free-tailed
bat: Ongoing research includes cooperative projects with the Texas Department
of Criminal Justice and Texas Parks and Wildlife in which three of my past
graduate students conducted a molecular systematic comparison of the two
subspecies, pesticide accumulations and their effects, roosting behavior,
and microhabitat variables in colonies of free-tailed bats in a warehouse
at the Walls Unit in Huntsville and the Old Tunnel Wildlife Management Area
at Fredericksburg , Texas .
Texas Regional Institute for Environmental Studies (TRIES, SHSU): Half-time appointment to the institute beginning January 1994 through May 1997 has involved determination of military facilities' needs for floral and faunal inventories, threatened and endangered species surveys, and impacts of current base activities on the environment. As Project Director, I wrote and was responsible for implementing formal scopes of work for comprehensive floral and faunal surveys (including threatened and endangered species) for the Arizona Army National Guard’s Camp Navajo, Coconino County, Arizona, and the U.S. Navy’s Dixie Bomb Target and Escondido Ranch, McMullen County, Texas. Field surveys at Camp Navajo began in April 1994 and the project was completed in June 1996. I supervised and coordinated the activities of five SHSU faculty members and supervised three graduate students who conducted vegetation surveys and analyses for floral and faunal (bird and mammal) comparisons with two Masters degrees completed. We also established Land Condition-Trend Analysis plots for long-term land use monitoring and developed geographic information system databases for future use by the military in monitoring the effects of their activities on the base. Activities at Dixie began in January 1995. The project included developing an Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan and completing comprehensive floral and vertebrate faunal inventories. One graduate student completed her Masters research on habitat characteristics and associated rodent species on the facility and graduates in May 1997.
Terrestrial vertebrate surveys of the Lake Livingston State Park, Polk Co., Texas: As Project Director, I coordinated and supervised six graduate students in completing a comprehensive inventory of terrestrial vertebrates found within the park. The project was completed in December 1995.
Mammals of the Roy E. Larsen Sandyland Sanctuary, Hardin Co., Texas: This project, a comprehensive survey of the mammals present on the preserve, was funded in part by the Texas Nature Conservancy (TNC) and was completed in December 1995. This project provided the TNC with distribution and abundance data necessary for determination of the effectiveness of long-leaf pine restoration and management practices.
The evaluation of zooplankton populations and water quality in the Trinity River System as related to environmental needs of paddlefish ( Polyodon spathula): Half-time summer support for 1993 and 1994 included supervision of one graduate and two undergraduate students in zooplankton sampling and collection of water quality information from four localities along the Trinity River above Livingston Reservoir. The final report was submitted to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 1 September 1994
A survey of organochlorine pesticide
contamination in the bats of Eckert James River Cave, Texas: 1993
half-time summer research involved collection of Mexican free-tailed bats
(Tadarida brasiliensis) and cave
myotis (Myotis velifer) from a cave
in central Texas owned by the Nature Conservancy of Texas to determine the
occurrence of organochlorine insecticides. This study compared contamination
levels in a year-round resident species and a species which migrates to Mexico
and Central America during the fall where compounds such as DDT are still
actively used.
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Graduate student projects:
Kenneth Ostrand: Thesis co-advisor - “Gar ichthyootoxin: Its effects on natural predators and the toxin’s evolutionary function” Master of Arts in Biology, May 1995.
John McHugh: Thesis advisor - “An evaluation of the U.S. Army’s satellite imagery based site selection process” Master of Arts in Biology, May 1996.
Greg Creacy: Thesis advisor - “Bird and small mammal habitat associations at Camp Navajo Army Depot, Arizona: Implications for management” Master of Science in Biology, December 1996.
Denise Ruffino: Thesis advisor - “Species assemblages and habitat preferences of rodents on south Texas rangelands” Master of Science in Biology thesis completed in May 1997.
James G. Coke, IV: Thesis advisor - "First record of Hydra sp. from an anchialine cave in Quintana Roo, Mexico" Master of Science in Biology, December 1998.
Wendy L. Armstrong: Thesis advisor - "Pesticide accumulation and its potential for genetic effects in Brazilian free-tailed bats from central Texas" Master of Science in Biology, May 2000.
Brad Bennett: Thesis advisor - "Pesticide accumulation and DA content variation in two subspecies of Brazilian free-tailed bats" Master of Science in Biology, May 2000.
Jennifer Wier: Thesis coadvisor - "Seasonal changes in spermatogenesis in the Brazilian free-tailed bat" Master of Science in Agriculture, May 2003.
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Selected Publications:
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A Key to the Skulls of North American Mammals 3rd Edition Bryan P. Glass
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Courses Offered: (UNDER CONTINUOUS RENOVATION)
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