Biological sciences and natural resource conservation are cornerstones for The University of Maine with many programs covering various aspects of these disciplines. Because of this breadth, Conservation Biology—the applied science of maintaining the earth’s biological diversity—is an interdepartmental activity at The University of Maine. There are about thirty faculty members in five units (Department of Wildlife Ecology, School of Biology and Ecology, School of Forest Resources, School of Marine Sciences, and School of Economics) who constitute a conservation biology interest group. The University funds Conservation Biology activities specifically with an interdepartmental Conservation Biology Seminar Series, with monies for travel to Conservation Biology conferences, and with an endowed chair, the Libra Professorship of Conservation Biology. The forest, wetland, freshwater, and marine ecosystems of Maine offer a diverse biota near campus for conservation biology research.

Degrees

Graduate students studying Conservation Biology at The University of Maine can earn any one of the following degrees depending on their specific interests:

Doctor of Philosophy

Biological Sciences, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Forest Resources, Marine Biology, Oceanography, Plant Sciences, Wildlife Ecology, Zoology

Master of Science

Resource Economics and Policy, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Entomology, Forestry, Marine Biology, Marine Policy, Oceanography, Botany and Plant Pathology, Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences, Resource Utilization, Wildlife Ecology, Zoology

Other Master Degree Options

Master of Forestry, Master of Wildlife Conservation

Courses in Conservation Biology

A wide variety of courses related to Conservation Biology are available. A small sample would include: Advanced Conservation Biology, Tropical Deforestation, Coral Reefs, Evolutionary Biology of Plants, Community Ecology, Population Biology, Evaluation of Wildlife Habitats, Tropical Field Ecology, and Modeling Sustainability.

Application

To inquire about specific opportunities and the availability of graduate assistantships, contact any of the faculty members listed below whose interests are close to yours. For general information about Conservation Biology at The University of Maine, write to Malcolm Hunter, Department of Wildlife Ecology, Nutting Hall, preferably by e-mail (mhunter@maine.edu)

Graduate Faculty

Andrei Alyokhin, Ph.d. (University of Massachusetts, 1999), School of Biology and Ecology. Invasion biology, non-target effects of biological control.

Kathleen P. Bell, Ph.D. (University of Maryland, 1997), School of Economics. Land management, land-use change; environmental economics, geographic information systems, spatial econometrics

Susan H. Brawley, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley, 1978), School of Marine Sciences. Ecosystem structure and function in estuaries and rocky intertidal zones.

Aram Calhoun, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1996), Department of Wildlife Ecology, wetland ecology and conservation with a special interest in wetland functions in the landscape.

Christopher S. Campbell, Ph.D. (Harvard University, 1980), School of Biology and Ecology. Reproductive and evolutionary biology of forest trees, endangered plants conservation, systematics of grasses.

Stephen M. Coghlan Jr., Ph.D. (SUNY-ESF 2004), Department of Wildlife Ecology. Aquatic ecology, applied fisheries ecology, land-use effects, biotic interactions, bionergetics.

Christopher S. Cronan, Ph.D. (Dartmouth College, 1978), School of Biology and Ecology. Biogeochemistry and plant ecology, resource sustainability in forest ecosystems, effects of air pollution and global change on natural resources.

William E. Glanz, (University of California, Berkeley, 1977), School of Biology and Ecology. Community ecology of mammals and birds, foraging ecology and social behavior of granivorous mammals and birds, evolution biogeography of North and South American rodents.

Daniel J. Harrison, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1986), Department of Wildlife Ecology. Wildlife habitat relationships, interactions among forest management practices and wildlife populations, predator ecology.

David D. Hart (University of California, Davis, 1979) School of Biology and Ecology, Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research. Stream ecology, watershed science and management, restoration ecology, adaptive management.

Rebecca L. Holberton, Ph.D. (State University of New York at Albany, 1991), School of Biology and Ecology. Endocrinology, ecology, and behavior of birds, ecophysiology of migrating birds; biology of Arctic – and temperate breeding birds; conservation biology.

Malcolm L. Hunter, Jr., D. Phil. (Oxford University, 1978), Department of Wildlife Ecology. Conservation biology, forest wildlife management, landscape ecology, international conservation.

Michael T. Kinnison, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1999), School of Biology and Ecology. Fish ecology, contemporary evolution, conservation genetics.

Irv Kornfield, Ph.D. (State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1974), School of Marine Sciences. Population biology of fishes, molecular systematics.

Jessica Leahy (University of Minnesota, 2005), School of Forest Resources. Social psychological aspects of natural resources management, environmental attitudes and behavior, information effects.

Robert J. Lilieholm, Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley, 1988), School of Forest Resources. Natural resources policy, management and economics; alternative futures modeling; international development and protected areas.

Cynthia S. Loftin, Ph.D. (University of Florida, 1998), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit/Department of Wildlife Ecology. Wetlands, landscape, and systems ecology; GIS applications.

Brian J. McGill, Ph.D. (University of Arizona 2003) School of Bology & Ecology, Sustainability Solutions Inititiave. Large-scale ecology. Species ranges, climate change, measuring biodiversity, spatial ecology, community structure.

Shawn T. McKinney, Ph.D. (University of Montana, 2007), Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit/Department of Wildlife Ecology. Terrestrial community ecology, population biology, invasive species biology, climate change, biometrics, and quantitative modeling.

Judith M. Rhymer, Ph.D. (Florida State University, 1988), Department of Wildlife Ecology. Conservation and wildlife genetics, population ecology, conservation biology.

Steven Sader, Ph.D. (University of Idaho, 1981), School of Forest Resources. Remote sensing, geographic information systems, monitoring tropical deforestation.

Frederick A. Servello, Ph.D. (Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State University, 1985), Department of Wildlife Ecology. Vertebrate nutrition and physiology, habitat relationships of birds and mammals.

Robert S. Seymour, Ph.D. (Yale University, 1980), School of Forest Resources. Forest management and harvesting, land use policies.

Robert Steneck, Ph.D. (Johns Hopkins University, 1982), School of Marine Sciences. Marine benthic ecology, fisheries management.

Robert L. Vadas, Ph.D. (University of Washington, 1968), School of Biology and Ecology. Marine ecology: seaweed recruitment, ecology and use, foraging behavior, community structure.

Peter Vaux, Ph.D. (University of California, Davis, 1985), Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Watershed and Environmental Research. Limnology and aquatic ecology, with special interest in landscape-level patterns in the biotic and abiotic components of freshwater systems, and how these patterns relate to both development trends and conservation planning.

Tim M. Waring, Ph.D. (University of California, Davis, 2010), School of Economics. Experimental approaches to human culture and cooperation as determinants of conservation behavior.

Les Watling, Ph.D. (University of Delaware, 1974), School of Marine Sciences. Ecology of marine benthic habitats and impacts of mobile fishing gear on marine benthic biodiversity.

Alan S. White, Ph.D. (University of Minnesota, 1981), School of Forest Resources. Forest ecology, silviculture, plant competition, regeneration.

Joseph Zydlewski, Ph.D. (University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1998), Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit/Department of Wildlife Ecology. Physiology, behavior and ecology of migrating fish, impacts of invasive fish species, ecological responses to habitat fragmentation.