Conservation and Restoration Biology
Study ways of restoring ecosystems and conserving and maintaining global biodiversity.
Distinguished Faculty Shaping Conservation and Restoration Biology Research
Departmental research in the area of conservation and restoration biology ranges from Mississippi old growth forests to the Gulf of Mexico to the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. Researchers in this area study ways of restoring ecosystems and conserving and maintaining global biodiversity. Research in this area is supported by the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Research (CBCR), which is housed in the department.
Faculty Members Who Specialize in Conservation and Restoration Biology Research | ||
|---|---|---|
| Faculty Member | Ph.D. Degree | Research Interests |
| Stephen Brewer | Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge | fire ecology, plant ecology, invasive species |
| Richard Buchholz | University of Florida | animal behavior, host-parasite coevolution, conservation biology |
| Ryan Garrick | Latrobe University | biodiversity conservation, population genetics, phylogeography |
| Jason Hoeksema | University of California-Davis | ecological and evolution of soil fungi in the context of global change and biological invasions; shorebird conservation ecology and ecosystem services provided by wetlands managed for birds |
| Brice Noonan | University of Texas at Arlington | diversity and distributions of tropical organisms |
| Michel Ohmer | University of Queensland | amphibian ecophysiology, disease ecology, host-pathogen interactions, thermal biology, amphibian ecology and conservation |
| Beckie Symula | University of Texas at Austin | evolutionary biology, color pattern evolution and phylogenetic of frogs |
Meet the Faculty
John Brewer
- Professor of Biology
Richard Buchholz
- Professor of Biology and Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation Research
Ryan Garrick
- Associate Professor of Biology
Jason Hoeksema
- Professor of Biology
Brice Noonan
- Associate Professor of Biology
Michel Ohmer
- Assistant Professor of Biology
Beckie Symula
- Instructional Associate Professor of Biology
Research and Grants
The Mesophication Hypothesis
Dr. Steve Brewer’s current research is funded by a grant from the BLM’s Joint Fire Sciences Program entitled, "Relative effects of mesophication and woody thickening on fuel bed flammability in an oak woodland.” This is a two-year graduate research project that examines the “mesophication” hypothesis, which states that oak-dominated forests in the eastern United States have become less flammable and thus less prone to wildfires as a result of fire exclusion.
Understanding the Effects of Light Pollution
Skylar Alexander (BA in Biological Science ’23)
Increased artificial light at night and increased temperature due to climate change have negative effects on amphibian physiology such as increased stress and decreased behavior, leading to a global amphibian population decline. After an experiment on predictor evasion abilities of southern leopard frog tadpoles, Ms. Alexander’s research with Dr. Ohmer improved our understanding of how both individual and multiple stressors impact amphibian physiological responses and fitness to improve conservation efforts.
Investigating Crayfish Taxonomy
The research of graduate student Patrick Allison is supported by numerous grants, including a NASA/Mississippi Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship, a fellowship from the Smithsonian Institution, and a Walter F. Cox award from Alabama Audubon. The project is resolving taxonomic uncertainty in members of the crayfish genus Creaserinus, focusing on a subset of species exhibiting considerable phenotypic variation across their southern US range.
Patrick Allison
PhD student