JEANINEREFSNIDER

Research in the Refsnider Lab is focused on understanding how animals, especially reptiles, are affected by and respond to human-caused changes to the environment.  I have led projects on the effects of climate change, harmful algal blooms, oil spills, salinization, fungal disease, and urbanisation on wildlife populations, with specific focus on how these disturbances impact individuals’ health and fitness, as well as population demography and persistence.  My students and I have worked with a wide variety of species around the world, including tuatara in Aotearoa New Zealand, turtles in Australia, frogs in California, lizards in Utah and New Mexico, snakes in Michigan and Ohio, songbirds in Ohio and Minnesota, and freshwater turtle species across much of the U.S.  Our research combines observational and experimental studies in the field and in the lab, and incorporates technological advances in field data recording and genomic techniques.  Ultimately, our goal is to enact science-based conservation that takes advantage of species’ natural abilities to respond to environmental change in order to enhance species resilience in a rapidly changing world.