I am currently employed as the spatial ecologist for the Tennesse Aquarium Conservation Institute, which is the the research and conservation department of Chattanooga's non-profit aquarium. In addition to meeting the geospatial needs of the conservation institute and maintaining the Freshwater Information Network (FIN), I conduct stream ecology research. I am a principal investigator on two current projects, one of which focuses on the impacts of land use change and its associated behavioral traits on competitive interactions of salamanders, while the other focuses on the effects small dams have on native fish. I partner with scientists at the University of the South and Baylor School (a local private high school) to conduct these research studies.
The salamander research project takes place in 24 outdoor "mesocosms", which are unconnected, recirculating flow-through systems which mimic a stream and its adjacent bank. Because these streams aren't connected, we are able to conduct 24 replicates at once. We acquired Nantaha blackbelly salamanders (Desmognathus amphileucus) from forested areas, as well as from canopy gaps, and performed behvaioral assays to determine their boldness, foraging propensity, and willingness to forage under the threat of predation. We will observe the space use of each salamander for 1 week in a mesocosm before it will be paired with an individual of a similar size for a 6-week competition trial. After 6 weeks, we will examine changes in snout-vent length (SVL) and total mass to determine the "winner" of the competitive interaction. Previous research has shown that different behavioral traits and higher behavioral plasticity are associated with canopy gaps, despite their being a less-preferred habitat by the salamanders. Our research aims to determine which behavioral differences are observed and whether they affect competitive interactions, which has implications for forest and wildlife habitat management.
The fish research takes place in 4 large, flow-through systems we call the "living streams". The streams each have 3 deep, circular pools and 2 rectangular riffles, which mimic natural stream systems. They are equipped with variable pumps that allow us to manipulate flow. By modifying water levels, flow, and substrate, we can mimic the conditions created by small damns and blowouts to study their effects on two native, common species- the redline darter (Nothonotus rufilineatus) and river chub (Nocomis micropogon). Using redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus), we also study the interactive effects of dam impacts and competition with invasive species. Given the high density of small, unregulated dams in southeastern rivers and streams, as well as the continuing spread of invasive species, this research has implications for wildlife and habitat management, dam management and regulation, and invasive species management.
In addition to my own projects, I have the pleasure of participating in a variety of other projects housed under the conservation institute's roof. I have helped assess habitat and populations of the endangered blue shiner (Cyprinella caerulea), populations of the critically endangered laurel dace (Chrosomus saylori), and the impacts of culverts on fish and aquatic organism passage, and I have helped search for new populations of the threatened trispot darter (Etheostoma trisella). I am also involved in the Ridges to Rivers Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), a program which partners with local farmers and offers financial assistance to implement best management practices to improve the quality and productivity of crops and livestock as well as water quality and aquatic habitat. When I'm not working on one of our various research projects or the RCPP, I can be found performing education and outreach, especially regarding our lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) reintroduction programs, or our tangerine darter (Percina aurantiaca) propagation program for endangered mussel propagation.
