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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, 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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, 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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology, 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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. Aquatic ecology, applied fisheries ecology, land-use effects, biotic interactions, bioenergetics.
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.
Jacquelyn L. Gill, Ph.D. (University of Wisconsin, 2012). School of Biology & Ecology, Climate Change Institute. Paleoecology, biogeography, community ecology, vegetation dynamics, herbivory, extinction, climate change.
Hamish S. Greig, Ph.D. (University of Canterbury, 2008). School of Biology & Ecology. Community ecology, environmental gradients, global change, food webs, aquatic ecology, freshwater invertebrates.
Daniel J. Harrison, Ph.D. (University of Maine, 1986), Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. 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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. 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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. 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.
Alessio Mortelliti, Ph.D. (University of Rome “La Sapienza”, 2008), Assistant Professor. Conservation biology, effects of land-use change on vertebrates, mammalogy, quantitative modelling, wildlife surveys & monitoring.
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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. 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.
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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology. Physiology, behavior and ecology of migrating fish, impacts of invasive fish species, ecological responses to habitat fragmentation.