Current Students
John Moore
John received his BS in Biology from the University of Texas-Austin. As an undergrad, he worked with Dr. Melissa Kemp on projects that examined morphological variation in Ambystoma salamanders and Phrynosomatid lizards, as well participated in general herpetofauna surveys in central Texas. After graduating, John worked as a field technician at Texas A&M, working with species such as Houston toads and chicken turtles. For his thesis, John investigated how variation in food web structure impacts pond-breeding salamanders. John is also participating in the Watershed Scholars program while at SIUE. John's Twitter Publications Moore, J.C. and B.C. Bowers. 2023. New County Records for the High Plains Ecoregion of Texas, USA. Herpetological Review 54(3), 409-410. Moore, J.C. and B.C. Bowers. 2023. Geographic distribution: Lampropeltis holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake). Herpetological Review 54(2), 244. Moore, J.C., Bowers, B.C., and S. Wahlberg. 2023. Geographic distribution: Pseudemys concinna (River Cooter). Herpetological Review 54(2), 241. Moore, J.C., Bowers, B.C., Crump, P.S., and J. Warner. 2023. Geographic distribution: Amphiuma tridactylum (Three-toed Amphiuma). Herpetological Review 54(2), 240. |
Mandi Montgomery
Mandi received her BA in Biology from the College of Charleston. While an undergraduate, Mandi worked on several experimental projects with Dr. Allison Welch aimed at understanding how increasing salinity levels impacted amphibian ecology, including behavior, oviposition site choice and growth/development. Her work focused specifically on behavior of dragonfly naiad-green tree frog tadpole interactions, and included a lot of hours of reviewing videos scoring behaviors! For her MS work at SIUE, Mandi will be focusing on synergistic effects of road salts and leaf litter from invasive plants impacts amphibian demography and community dynamics. Mandi is also participating in the Watershed Scholars program while at SIUE. Mandi's X (Twitter) |
Trevor J. Rallo
Trevor completed an AS degree in Environmental Science at Lewis & Clark College, prior to transferring to SIUE. He completed his BS in Biology in 2023, during which he participated in numerous research projects in the lab, spanning multiple aquatic organisms. Trevor had a competitive URCA Associate proposal funded to examine whether citizen science water quality monitoring metrics corresponded to decomposition rates in streams. He also worked extensively with zooplankton to understand their dynamics in both ponds and Cougar Lake on campus. Finally, Trevor assisted with several experimental projects in the lab on amphibians, as well as conducted his own experiment on duckweed impacts on mosquito larvae.
For his MS thesis, Trevor is going to focus generally on aquatic invertebrates and how habitat features affect colonization rates of water bodies. Publications Anderson, T.L. and T.J. Rallo. Demographic effects of variation in intraspecific priority effects in a pond-breeding salamander. In Review |
Past Students
Jessica Sandoval (2021-2023)
Jessica obtained her BS from the University of Central Florida. As an undergrad, she assisted on several research projects, including work with bats, wetland biogeochemistry, and gopher tortoises. Post-graduation, she worked as a field technician for the USFS. Most recently, Jessica was a wildlife technician for the Longleaf Alliance, where she worked with the endangered Reticulated Flatwoods Salamander. Jessica's MS research focused on identifying different factors that affected rates of paedomorphosis and delayed maturation in mole salamanders in natural ponds. She now works for the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Publications: Anderson, T.L., M. N. Mack, and J.S. Sandoval. 2023. Hydroperiod impacts on two fall-breeding salamanders, Ambystoma annulatum and A. opacum. Ichthyology and Herpetology 111: 494-502 Sandoval, J.S. 2023, Eurycea cirregera (Southern Two-lined Salamander). Habitat Use. Herpetological Review 54:257-258 Jessica's Twitter |
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Mariah Mack (2021-2023)
Mariah graduated from Penn State-Behrend with a BS in Biology. While there, they worked with Dr. Lynne Beaty on a variety of amphibian projects, including dorsal coloration patterns in American Toads, which was published in 2021 in the Journal of Herpetology. After graduation, they spent a year as an intern at the Memphis Zoo, where they worked on husbandry of Dusky Gopher Frogs and gamete cryopreservation in Fowler’s Toads. Mariah's MS research tested how hydroperiod and non-consumptive predator effects influenced small-mouthed life history. Mariah's Twitter Publications: Anderson, T.L., M. N. Mack, and J.S. Sandoval. 2023. Hydroperiod impacts on two fall-breeding salamanders, Ambystoma annulatum and A. opacum. Ichthyology and Herpetology 111: 494-502 Mack M. and L. Beaty. 2021. The Influence of Environmental and Physiological Factors on Variation in American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) Dorsal Coloration. Journal of Herpetology 55: 119-126 |