James T. Taylor

Jim Taylor

Department of Zoology
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824

My research is directed toward the detection of change in natural systems. This strongly statistical approach to field biology can be applied to a diversity of problems, including the dynamics of Lyme disease, temporal and microgeographic variation in salamanders, and studies on the distribution and abundance of New Hampshire amphibians and reptiles.

The emphasis of the Lyme disease project is on detection of changes in the abundance and behavior of resevoir species (e.g. Peromyscus) as they influence, and are affected by, movement of the disease into new areas.

Salamanders are a useful system for studying the interaction between ecological and evolutionary change. By characterizing salamander populations under different regimes of cooperation for food, I hope to partition the components of phenotypic variation in the shape of their feeding apparatus.

The baseline studies of amphibian distributions in New Hampshire are focused on the application of ecological principles to conservation of these often overlooked animals. Particular emphasis is being placed on alternatives to single-species management in conservation biology.

Selected Publications

Taylor,J. 1984. Comparative evidence for competition between the salamanders Ambystoma gracile and Taricha granulosa . Copeia 1984:672-683.
Taylor,J. 1990. Questionable multivariate statistical inference in wildlife habitat and community studies: A comment. J. Wild. Manage. 54:186-189.
Taylor,J. 1990. Statistics and scientific graphics. Bull. Ecol. Soc. Amer. 71:122-124.
Taylor,J. 1993. The Amphibians and Reptiles of New Hampshire. N.H. Fish and Game Department. 71 pp.