Eric F. Maurer

Biography

I have long been interested in how the colonization of a new habitat influence species traits. Previous and continuing research has examined how the shift from stream to artificial farm pond habitats has influenced the morphology and performance of cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) in the Great Plains, and how the colonization of temporary streams by a salamander (Ambystoma texanum and A. barbouri) has resulted in changes in behavior and life history.

Research Interest

My research interests focus on how environmental changes interact with and influence: i) patterns of distribution and diversity, and ii) the evolution of species traits such as life history, morphology and behavior. I use a combination of research techniques in both the laboratory and the field to examine these issues and to test the predictions of ecological and evolutionary theory with respect to changes in the environment, both abiotic and biotic. I have worked with a variety of organisms, utilizing vertebrates (fish & amphibians) and invertebrates (macroinvertebrates and zooplankton) to address questions about how animals respond to environmental variation at both ecological and evolutionary time scales.