Dr. James R. Spotila

Betz Chair Professor of Environmental Science
Department of Biology
[Click to view Dept. of Bioscience Faculty Info]

Background: Ph.D. - Vertebrate Zoology and Physiological Ecology, University of Arkansas (1970)
 
Research Interests: Environmental science, physiological and biophysical ecology, fisheries biology and ichthyology, as well as conservation biology. Topics include the physiological and population ecology of sea turtles, the use of fish as bioindicators of pollution in the Philadelphia area, the ecology of trout in Valley Forge National Park, the molecular basis for temperature dependent sex determination in reptiles, the role of stress proteins in resistance of fish and amphibians to environmental degradation, the molecular population genetics of sea turtles and other reptiles, the impact of development on the ecology of the La Parguera Marine Reserve in Puerto Rico and the effect of military training on endangered plants, animals and their ecosystems.

Current or Pending Research Grants:

Ecology of Desert Tortoise, Harold Avery and James R. Spotila, EARTHWATCH, $60,000 November 2003- August 2004 (current)
 
Ecological Studies at Warren Grove Range , Walter Bien (with J Spotila and H. Avery), Air Force National Guard, $384,801, August 2003-July 2005 (current)

Courses Taught:

Physiological Ecology
Issues in Global Change I
Issues in Global Change II
Bioclimatology
Biophysical Ecology