Department of Biology

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GIANTS OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY

(me and chuck D, San Cristobal 2006)
 

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   WELCOME TO THE MARSH LAB!

 

   Dr. David Marsh

   Associate Professor of Biology

   Howe Hall 415

   Phone: (540) 458-8176

   E-mail: marshd at wlu.edu


   Education

     Undergraduate Degree: B.A., University of Virginia, 1993

     Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS): Tropical Biology, 1996

     Graduate Degree: Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 2000

   
   Teaching

      Disease Ecology (BIOL 111)

      Statistics for Biology and Medicine (BIOL 301)

      Animal Behavior (BIOL 243)

      Tropical Ecology (Ecuador and the Galapagos, BIOL 216)

      Intro to Behavioral Ecology (BIOL 105)

 

   Current Research Projects

 

Optimal Strategies for Monitoring Populations

Monitoring populations of plants and animals is crucial for protecting endangered species, managing biological resources, and slowing the spread of invasive species.  Yet, the design of population monitoring programs is often an afterthought, based more on tradition and expediency than on rational analysis.  From Oct 2006 to July 2007, I'll be a sabbatical fellow at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, where I'll be working on developing better approaches for the design of population monitoring programs. 

 

Population Genetics and Dispersal of Terrestrial Salamanders

What do salamanders do all day?  Do they just sit on the forest floor waiting for the next bug to walk by, or do they have an active, secret life that field studies only hint of?  We are using genetic and ecological methods to study the dispersal behavior of terrestrial salamanders in both continuous and fragmented habitats.  We hope to understand how and why salamanders disperse and what kinds of land use promote or hinder salamander movement.  This research is collaborative with Paul Cabe (W & L) and Robert Page (University of Kentucky) and is currently being supported by the National Science Foundation  (abstract).

 

Gender and Observation Bias in Science

Philosophers of all stripes have speculated about the kinds of biases that affect scientific knowledge and the ways that gender may interact with these biases.  For example, can behavioral ecologists objectively record the behavior of male and female animals, or are one's observations always colored by human concepts of gender?  If so, do men and women differ in their susceptibility to these kinds of biases?  Are observers able to disregard their expectations when collecting behavioral data?  We are using large groups of students to test hypotheses about the biases that influence different kinds of behavioral research. 

Recent Publications

(*indicates undergraduate student co-author)

  • Marsh, D.M., and Trenham, P.C.  2008.  Current trends in monitoring programs for animal and plant populations.  Conservation Biology 22: 647-655. pdf
     

  • Marsh, D.M., Page, R.B., Hanlon, T.J., Corritone, R*., Little, E.E.*, Seifert, D.E.*, and Cabe, P.R.  2008.  Effects of roads on patterns of genetic differentiation in red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereusConservation Genetics 9: 603-613. pdf
     

  • Marsh, D.M, Page, R.B., Hanlon, T. J., Bareke, H.* Corritone, R.* Jetter, N.*, Beckman, N.G.*, Gardner, K.*, Seifert, D.E.*, and Cabe, P.R.  2007.  Ecological and genetic evidence that low-order streams inhibit dispersal by red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). Canadian Journal of Zoology 85: 319-327.  pdf
     
  • Marsh, D.M. and Hanlon, T.J.  2007.  Seeing what we want to see: confirmation bias in animal behavior research.  Ethology 113: 1089-1098.  pdf
     

  • Cabe, P.R., Page, R.B., Hanlon, T.J., Aldrich, M.E.*, Connors, L., and D. M. Marsh. 2007.  Fine-scale genetic population structure and gene flow in a terrestrial salamander living in continuous habitat.  Heredity 98: 53-60.  pdf
     
  • Marsh, D.M.  2007.  Edge effects of gated and ungated forest roads on terrestrial salamanders.  Journal of Wildlife Management 71: 389-394. pdf
     
  • Marsh, D. M., Milam. G. S.*, Gorham, N. P.*, and N. G. Beckman*. 2005.  Forest roads as partial barriers to terrestrial salamander movement.  Conservation Biology 19: 2004-2008. pdf
     
  • Adams, V. M.*, Marsh, D. M., and J. S. Knox.  2005.  Importance of the seed bank for population viability and population monitoring in a threatened wetland herb.  Biological Conservation 124: 425-436. pdf
     
  • Marsh, D. M. and Hanlon, T. J.  2004.  Observer gender and observation bias in animal behaviour research: experimental tests with red-backed salamanders.  Animal Behaviour 68:1425-1433. pdf
     
  • Marsh, D. M., Thakur, K. A.*, Bulka, K. C.*, and L. B. Clarke*.  2004.  Dispersal and colonization through open fields by a terrestrial woodland salamander.  Ecology 85: 3396-3405. pdf
     
  • Marsh, D. M. and Beckman, N. G.*  2004.  Effects of forest roads on the abundance and activity of terrestrial salamanders in the Southern Appalachians.  Ecological Applications 14:1882-1891. pdf


     
   

 

 

In memorium, RAY. 1991-2003.