Latest News
2020
Paper Published - Context-dependent effects of Fescue on Crawfish Frog larval development - Oecologia! Congrats Chelsea!
Chelsea Kross successfully defends her dissertation on the conservation of Crawfish Frogs - Congrats Chelsea!
Ethan Hollender joins the lab to pursue a PhD working on Western Chicken Turtles - Welcome Ethan!
2019
Savannah Morning News - Natural Georgia article on DoD Snake Research
Jenna successfully defends her honors thesis on diet of invasive Seal Salamanders in AR - congrats Jenna!
Paper Published - Riparian Herp Communities in Managed Forests - Eco Apps! Great paper Jackie!
Arkansas Prairie Herp Research featured in UA Newswire and KUAF
Arkansas Turtle Research featured in UA Newswire
Chelsea awarded P.E.O. Scholar Award. Congrats Chelsea!!
Jackie successfully defends her doctoral dissertation on riparian herp communities. Congrats Jackie!!
Bailey successfully defends her Honors Thesis on evaporative water loss in aquatic snakes, Congrats Bailey!!
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Paper - Salamander Communities in Managed Forests - Forest Ecology and Management
Paper - Road-based Density Estimation - Wildlife Research. Cover Photo!
Paper - Landscape-scale effects of drought on aquatic snakes - Wetlands.
Paper - Introduced Seal Salamanders in NW Arkansas - Copeia
DoD Snake Research featured in UA Newswire
J.D. Awarded the Conservation Hero Award by Southeast Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)!
Paper - Indirect effects of pythons on turtle nesting success - Journal of Applied Ecology.
Singapore Snake Research Featured in UArk Research Frontiers.
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Research in our lab at the University of Arkansas focuses on understanding factors that drive population and community dynamics of reptiles and amphibians including inter- and intraspecific interactions, environmental variation, and anthropogenic impacts such as land-use change, pollution, and invasive species. Our work uses a combination of descriptive, experimental, and theoretical approaches to integrate responses from the level of the individual organism to the landscape. We are also interested in basic aspects of reptiles and amphibian ecology that set them apart from other vertebrates.
Current research areas in the Willson Lab include:
1) Evaluating population and landscape-scale effects of anthropogenic stressors (pollution, land-use change, intensive forestry, invasive species) on amphibians and reptiles.
2) Understanding the ecology, impacts, and management of Burmese pythons and other invasive snakes.
3) Assessing biotic and abiotic drivers of aquatic snake population and community dynamics within wetland ecosystems.
4) Development of novel field and analytical methods to understand reptile and amphibian distribution and abundance.
Please contact Dr. Willson if you are interested in research or graduate student opportunities.
Crawfish Frog (Lithobates areolatus)