Raymond Semlitsch

Curators Professor of Biological Sciences

PhD, 1984 University of Georgia

semlitschr@missouri.edu
573-884-6396
212 Tucker Hall

http://www.biosci.missouri.edu/semlitsch/index.html

LEAP experimental forest array at the Daniel Boone Conservation Area in Missouri.

Research description

My research focuses on understanding basic ecological and behavioral processes in both natural populations of amphibians and those under varying degrees of disturbance or land use. It is specifically directed at understanding: 1) how land use affects population dynamics, 2) the role of species differences in population persistence, 3) the mechanisms of connectivity within metapopulations, and 4) basic principles or tools used to manage and conserve wetland species.

My lab has three primary research interests: 1) forest management, 2) chemical contamination, and 3) wetland mitigation. In each case, we are trying to understand how vital rates of amphibians like growth, reproduction, and survival are altered by these various factors. Our studies often compare species in an attempt to understand why species vary in their ability to tolerate disturbance. Our studies range from mechanistic laboratory experiments to large-scale forest or wetland manipulations.

The goal of my research is to understand how populations of amphibians persist and how we can maintain their biodiversity in human dominated landscapes. The ultimate goal is to provide biologically-based principles for amphibian management and conservation to natural resource managers and policy makers.

[please go to our lab website for more detailed information: www.biology.missouri.edu/semlitsch]

Selected publications

Rittenhouse, T.A.G., R.D. Semlitsch, and F.R. Thompson III. 2009. Survival costs associated with wood frog breeding migrations: effects of timber harvest and drought. Ecology 90:1620-1630.

Semlitsch, R.D., B.D. Todd, S.M. Blomquist, A.J.K. Calhoun, J.W. Gibbons, J.P. Gibbs, G.J. Graeter, E.B. Harper, D.J. Hocking, M.L. Hunter, Jr., D.A. Patrick, T.A.G. Rittenhouse, B.B. Rothermel. 2009. Effects of timber harvest on amphibian populations: understanding mechanisms from forest experiments. Bioscience (in press)

Semlitsch, R.D. 2008. Differentiating migration and dispersal processes for pond-breeding amphibians. Journal of Wildlife Management 72:260-267.

Semlitsch, R.D., C. A. Conner, D. J. Hocking, T.A.G. Rittenhouse, and E.B. Harper. 2008. Effects of timber harvesting on amphibian persistence: testing the evacuation hypothesis. Ecological Applications 18:283-289.

Harper, E.B., T.A.G. Rittenhouse and R.D. Semlitsch. 2008. Demographic consequences of terrestrial habitat loss for pool-breeding amphibians: predicting extinction risks associated with inadequate size of buffer zones. Conservation Biology 22:1205-1215

Selected national/international awards and honors

National Wetlands Award, Science Research, 2008

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