Research

Alligator Nesting in Arkansas

This student led project stemmed from field research with my Herpetology class in 2021. We are seeking to fill in gaps about alligator reproduction in Arkansas. Our state represents the northern end of alligator range. This is particularly important as alligators are ectotherms exhibiting temperature-dependent sex determination. We are currently measuring nest characteristics, incubation temperatures, clutch characteristics, predation rates, and frequency of female attendance. We hope to use this data to inform management decisions of the species in Arkansas. 

Snake Eye Morphology

One of our Pre-Health students, Baylee McMillan, whose looking to enter in to optometry developed this project. He is working to understand the relationship between snake pupil shape and lens shape. He's also seeking to understand how these relationships scale with body size. 

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Watersnake Immunity

As a collaboration with Dr. Lori Neuman Lee at Arkansas State University, Dr. Tiffany Weinkopf at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science, and my colleague Dr. Daniel McDermott, we are characterizing the immune system of an outbred model organism, the water snake. We hope to develop this system as a model for functions of the innate immune system. We are also working to better understand the individual roles of snake leukocytes in immunity. 

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House Snake Reproductive Investment

Using a long term captive colony of African House Snakes (Boaedon fuliginosus), we are looking to understand variation in female reproductive investment. We are examining the influence of supplemental protein and lipid allocation of the female diet on egg characteristics. We are also seeking to understand the influence of protein and lipid supplementation directly on egg development.