Wednesday, May 1, 7:00am - 8:00am
100 Nedderman Hall, UT Arlington campus

Biological Inventories of Nuclear Central America: 
A Historical and Ecological Perspective of the Herpetofauna

 

Jonathan A. Campbell, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Biology
UT Arlington

 

Despite common belief, our knowledge of what species of amphibians and reptiles inhabit this planet is far from complete. In fact, the World Resources Institute states “scientists have a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are on Earth.” To remedy this situation, scientists are conducting extensive biological surveys, but what are the most fruitful regions for fieldwork, which areas contain the highest endemicity and biodiversity, and how to tackle various ranking and grouping challenges? The role of natural history museums is critical in these studies.

 

In this presentation, Dr. Campbell will discuss some of his work in one part of the world - Nuclear Central America, which is composed of southern Mexico and northern Central America. He will also describe activities at the vertebrates museum on the UTA campus, one of the Top 10 collections in the U.S.

 

Jonathan Campbell holds a doctorate in Systematics and Ecology from the University of Kansas. Since joining UT Arlington in 1993, he has received a Chancellor's Excellence in Teaching Award and been inducted into the UTA Academy of Distinguished Scholars. A prolific writer, Dr. Campbell has authored numerous journal articles and several books, including The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America and The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. During his extensive travels, he discovered more than 150 species of amphibians and reptiles and was held at gunpoint on three continents.

 

Make your reservation today. Send an e-mail with "ATA - June" in the Subject line.