Teaching Interests
BSC 414/L/514/L Ichthyology
BSC 415/L/515/L Biology of Fishes
BSC 441/L541/L Population and Community Ecology
Research Interests
My research focuses on the ecology of
freshwater fishes. Research in my lab is conducted on a
variety of organizational levels from the physiology of
individuals to community dynamics over large spatial and
temporal scales. Some of the recently completed projects
included studies on phenotypic plasticity of
physiological traits, mechanisms of reproductive
isolation, and techniques for assessing the magnitude of
temporal change in communities. Ongoing research
projects being conducted by graduate students in the lab
include studies on the phylogeography of darters, the
nature of competitive interactions among stream fishes,
and conservation of the Alabama shad (Alosa alabamae).
For more detailed information and electronic copies of
papers see the research section of my web page.
I am also curator of the USM Museum of
Ichthyology. The collection is an invaluable resource
for students and researchers interested in ichthyology.
As of December 2006, the museum contained over 31,000
lots and over 510,000 specimens representing
approximately 750 taxa. While most of the collection
contains fishes from the southeastern US, efforts are
underway to add a number of collections from Honduras.
Recent graduates from my laboratory
including research topic and current positions:
-
James Kerfoot*, MS. 2003. Ecomorphology and microhabitat
characteristics of Cottus carolinae in prairie and ozark streams.
Currently pursuing Ph.D. at Florida Technical Institute.
-
Bethany Kassebaum*, MS. 2004. Thermal biology of three darters
(Etheostoma caerelum, E. flabellare and E. spectabile) in thermally
contrasting streams. Currently managing zebrafish lab at the Washington
University School of Medicine.
- John Spaeth, MS. 2008. Competitive interactions and associated
assemblage dynamics in congeneric darters of the Pascagoula drainage.
Currently Fish biologist for the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation
Commission (ORSANCO).
- Brianna Zuber, MS. 2008. Fluctuating asymmetry and condition in fishes
exposed to varying levels of environmental stressors. Currently pursuing
Ph.D. at Tennessee Tech University.
*Completed degree at Southern Illinois
University Edwardsville (previous position)
Representative Publications
Matamoros, W.A., P. Mickle, J. Schaefer, W. Arthurs, J. Ikoma, R.
Ragsdale. 2009. First record of Agonostomus monticola (Family:
Mugilidae) in Mississippi freshwaters with notes of its distribution in
the southern USA. In press, The Southeastern Naturalist.
Bowen, B.R., B. Kreiser, P. F. Mickle, J. Schaefer, and S. B. Adams.
2008. Phylogenetic relationships among North American Alosa species
(Clupeidae). In press, Journal of Fish Biology.
Vigueira, P., Schaefer, J.F., Kreiser, B.R., Duvernell, D. 2008. Tests
of reproductive isolation among species in the Fundulus notatus
(Cyprinodontiformes: Fundulidae) species complex. Evolutionary Ecology
22(1): 55-70.
Duvernell, D., Schaefer, J.F., Hancks, D., Fonoti, J., Ravanelli, A.
2007. Hybridization and Introgression Among Syntopic Populations of the
Topminnows Fundulus notatus and F. olivaceus in Southern Illinois.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 20: 152-164.
Meadows, D., Adams, S.B. and Schaefer, J.F. 2007. Threatened Fishes of
the World: Alosa alabamae Jordan and Evermann, 1896 (Clupeidae). In
press, Environmental Biology of Fishes, doi: 10.1007/s10641-007-9270-1.
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