Associate Professor of Aquatic Ecology

Curator of Fishes

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Education

• Ph.D. University of Alabama, 2011 (Biology)
• M.S. University of Louisiana at Monroe, 2006 (Biology)
• B.S. Henderson State University, 2000 (Biology)

Courses Taught

• Biology of Animals
• Population Genetics
• Ichthyology
• Limnology

Research Interests

Research in my lab is focused broadly on two main questions with respect to aquatic biodiversity: where did it come from and where is it going? To answer these questions, we integrate phylogenetics, phylogeography, population genetics, and ecology to better understand species distributions, diversification and speciation, and conservation needs of aquatic organisms in the southeastern United States. Our study organisms include freshwater fishes and, in collaboration with John L. Harris, we will soon expand our investigations to freshwater mussels.

Aquatic Biodiversity: Where did it come from?
Our recent research involves using phylogenetic and population genetic analyses to better understand the pattern-process relationships driving diversification in freshwater fishes.

Aquatic Biodiversity: Where is it going?
Conservation genetic studies of threatened and endangered species allow us to define appropriate management units for conservation planning by state and federal agencies, and determine whether historical and/or contemporary factors have contributed to the species’ endangerment. We also employ landscape genetic approaches to investigate how human activities such as habitat alteration, urbanization, and construction of dams affect gene flow and connectivity in freshwater organisms.

Affiliations

• American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
• Society for the Study of Evolution
• Southeastern Fishes Council
• Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society
  

Curriculum Vitae

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