Information on habitat, life history, and ecology are vital to accurate conservation assessment, management and protection of biodiversity, yet such data are lacking for many species. Before conservation initiatives can be planned and implemented for threatened and endangered species, accurate information on the geographic extent, habitat requirements, population ecology and life history must be assembled. I have ongoing research projects on the population ecology and life history of several potentially threatened and endangered species of fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as cave invertebrates.
A considerable amount of my field research has been focused in Tennessee, which has lead to the publication of several publications and three books summarizing the natural history, ecology and conservation of amphibians, reptiles and cave life, including The Amphibians of Tennessee (Niemiller & Reynolds 2011), The Reptiles of Tennessee (Niemiller, Reynolds & Miller 2013), and Cave Life of TAG: A Guide to Commonly Encountered Species in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia (Niemiller, Zigler & Fenolio 2013).
Fishes, amphibians and reptiles
The Southeastern United States is home to a diverse assemblage of fishes, amphibians and reptiles. Although diverse, surprisingly little is known about the population ecology and life history of several species. In collaboration with several colleagues, including R. Graham Reynolds (University of Massachusetts-Boston), Brian T. Miller (Middle Tennessee State University), Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick (University of Tennessee), Brad "Bones" M. Glorioso (USGS), and Dante B. Fenolio (San Antonio Zoo), I have studied aspects of life history, demography and community structure of several species that comprise the ichyofauna and herpetofauna of the Southeastern United States. Projects have ranged from documenting community assemblages (Niemiller 2005; Niemiller & Miller 2009; Niemiller et al. 2011), to understanding aspects of reproduction (Niemiller & Miller 2007; Miller et al. 2008; Niemiller et al. 2009a, 2009b) and parasitism (McAllister et al. 2007; Fenolio et al. 2013; McCallister et al. 2013), to examining habitat use and population ecology (Miller & Niemiller 2008; Niemiller et al. 2010; Reynolds et al. 2011; Fenolio et al. 2013). Current projects include studying the population ecology of several species of cave-dwelling salamanders, including Tennessee Cave Salamanders (Gyrinophilus palleucus), Georgia Blind Salamanders (Eurycea wallacei) and Ozark Blind Salamanders (Eurycea spelaea), as well as amblyopsid cavefishes.
Primary Collaborators: Brian T. Miller (Middle Tennessee State University), R. Graham Reynolds (University of Massachusetts-Boston), Dante B. Fenolio (San Antonio Zoo), Brad "Bones" Glorioso (USGS), and Benjamin M. Fitzpatrick (University of Tennessee)
Cave invertebrates
Almost nothing is known regarding the life history and population of most cave invertebrate biodiversity. Even reliable information on extent of occurrence is lacking for many species. Although most of my research has focused on animals with backbones up until recently, I have begun to focus on filling in our knowledge gaps for several invertebrate groups. Surveys for cave life in the Ozark Highlands of Oklahoma have resulted in two short publications on cave-dwelling crayfishes (Fenolio et al. 2013a; 2013b). In addition, I am a member of the Stygobromus Working Group, which aims include undestanding the systematics, distribution, life history and conservation of this diverse genus of cave amphipods. Other current projects include studying the life history and population ecology of carabid cave beetles and cave crayfishes in the Interior Low Plataeu and Appalachian Valley and Ridge.
Primary Collaborators: Dante B. Fenolio (San Antonio Zoo), Kirk S. Zigler (University of the South), Megan L. Porter (University of Sout Dakota), Dan W. Fong (American University), Michael E. Slay (The Nature Conservancy), Steve Taylor (Illinois Natural History Survey), Chris Hobson (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation), Wil Orndorff (Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation), Daphne Soares (University of Maryland)