RESEARCH PROJECTS
Predicting Biological Invasions
Using Miami's large community of non-native lizards (the largest in the world) I am testing the validity of invasion predictions made by ecological niche models. I am also collecting species-specific trait data on the thermal tolerances of these non-native lizards.
Hunter Howell
Hunter Howell
Modeling the Effects of Land Use and Climate Change on the Threatened Wood Turtle
Using historical population and land cover data, along with future land cover and climate change projections, we are modeling the loss in suitable habitat for Wood Turtles in the Northeastern US over time and predicting which areas throughout their range will be most threatened in the future in order to prioritize conservation efforts.
Comparative Landscape Genomics for Invasive Species Management
I am using landscape genomic methods to understand how non-native species disperse throughout a new region, specifically comparing the dispersal routes of large, predatory non-native lizards in South Florida that differ in their life history characteristics. The goal is to demonstrate how landscape genomic techniques can help managers efficiently control the dispersal of invasive species by understanding the environmental variables that facilitate a species dispersal.
Hunter Howell
Effects of Cattle on Amphibian Communities
The Searcy Lab conducted field work in the summer of 2017 at the MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center on Buck Island Ranch in south central Florida, studying the effects of cattle on pond breeding amphibians. We have also been working on a global review of how livestock impact amphibian communities.
