Jeffrey E Lovich, Ph.D.
As a Research Ecologist, Jeff is interested in the interactions of animals and their physical environment. Current research is focused on the ecology of turtles and tortoises and the effects of utility-scale renewable energy development (wind and solar) on wildlife, particularly in the Desert Southwest USA.
Research interests
Jeff has studied the ecology and systematics of turtles and other animals for over 30 years, discovering and naming four of the world’s 356 turtle species, including three in the United States and one in Japan. Other interests include the ecological impacts of invasive species, the ecology and distribution of relict species, and the impacts of human activities (including wind and solar energy development) on wildlife and ecological patterns and processes in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
Books
- Turtles of the United States and Canada (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994)
- Biological Diversity: Problems and Challenges (Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 1994)
- The State of the Colorado River Ecosystem in the Grand Canyon (U.S. Geological Survey, 2005)
- Turtles of the United States and Canada, Second Edition (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009)
- Turtles of the World (Princeton University Press, 2021)
Professional Experience
Center Director - USGS, Western Ecological Research Center
Chief - USGS, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
Education and Certifications
B.S. (1982) and M.S. degrees (1984) Biology, George Mason University
Ph.D. (1990) Ecology, University of Georgia, Institute of Ecology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Member IUCN (World Conservation Union), Species Survival Commission, Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Honors and Awards
Fulbright Senior Specialist Award 2008 Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco.
Elected Fellow of The Linnean Society of London, the world's oldest active biological society.
Science and Products
Nest site characteristics, nesting movements, and lack of long-term nest site fidelity in Agassiz's desert tortoises at a wind energy facility in southern California
Black bears (Ursus americanus) as a novel potential predator of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a California wind energy facility
Clinal variation or validation of a subspecies? A case study of the Graptemys nigrinoda complex (Testudines: Emydidae)
Does the timing of attainment of maturity influence sexual size dimorphism and adult sex ratio in turtles?
Graptemys pulchra Baur 1893: Alabama Map Turtle
Managing invasive red-eared slider turtles in Japan
Reptilia: Testudines: Emydidae Graptemys gibbonsi - Pascagoula Map Turtle
Climatic variation and tortoise survival: has a desert species met its match?
Sexual dimorphism and feeding ecology of Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)
Nest guarding by female Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California
A quantitative analysis of the state of knowledge of turtles of the United States and Canada
Assessing the state of knowledge of utility-scale wind energy development and operation on non-volant terrestrial and marine wildlife
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 101
Nest site characteristics, nesting movements, and lack of long-term nest site fidelity in Agassiz's desert tortoises at a wind energy facility in southern California
Nest site selection has important consequences for maternal and offspring survival and fitness. Females of some species return to the same nesting areas year after year. We studied nest site characteristics, fidelity, and daily pre-nesting movements in a population of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind energy facility in southern California during two field seasons separatedAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Charles B. Yackulic, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Curtis Bjurlin, Joshua R. Ennen, Terry R. Arundel, Meaghan AustinBlack bears (Ursus americanus) as a novel potential predator of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a California wind energy facility
No abstract available.AuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, David Delaney, Jessica Briggs, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Jason ReeseClinal variation or validation of a subspecies? A case study of the Graptemys nigrinoda complex (Testudines: Emydidae)
Widely distributed species often display intraspecific morphological variation due to the abiotic and biotic gradients experienced across their ranges. Historically, in many vertebrate taxa, such as birds and reptiles, these morphological differences within a species were used to delimit subspecies. Graptemys nigrinoda is an aquatic turtle species endemic to the Mobile Bay Basin. Colour pattern anAuthorsJoshua R. Ennen, Marley E. Kalis, Adam L. Patterson, Brian R. Kreiser, Jeffrey E. Lovich, James Godwin, Carl P. QuallsDoes the timing of attainment of maturity influence sexual size dimorphism and adult sex ratio in turtles?
The attainment of sexual maturity has been shown to affect measures of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and adult sex ratios in several groups of vertebrates. Using data for turtles, we tested the model that sex ratios are expected to be male-biased when females are larger than males and female-biased when males are larger than females because of the relationship of each with the attainment of maturitAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Mickey AghaGraptemys pulchra Baur 1893: Alabama Map Turtle
The Alabama Map Turtle, Graptemys pulchra (Family Emydidae), is a moderately large riverine species endemic to the Mobile Bay drainage system of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Sexual size dimorphism is pronounced, with adult females (carapace length [CL] to 273 mm) attaining more than twice the size of adult males (CL to 117 mm). The species is an inhabitant of relatively large, swift creeks aAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, James C. Godwin, C.J. McCoyManaging invasive red-eared slider turtles in Japan
No abstract available.AuthorsJeffrey E. LovichReptilia: Testudines: Emydidae Graptemys gibbonsi - Pascagoula Map Turtle
The Pascagoula Map Turtle, Graptemys gibbonsi, is a large riverine species that exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, where females attain a maximum carapace length (CL) of 295 mm and males a maximum of 141 mm (Lovich et al. 2009). Mean adult female CL (248 mm) can be well over twice the mean CL of adult males (104 mm; Gibbons and Lovich 1990, Lovich et al. 2009). In addition, females have conspiAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. EnnenClimatic variation and tortoise survival: has a desert species met its match?
While demographic changes in short-lived species may be observed relatively quickly in response to climate changes, measuring population responses of long-lived species requires long-term studies that are not always available. We analyzed data from a population of threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a 2.59 km2 study plot in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of Joshua Tree NatiAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Charles B. Yackulic, Jerry Freilich, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Katherine P. Meyer, Terence R. Arundel, Jered Hansen, Michael S. Vamstad, Stephanie A. RootSexual dimorphism and feeding ecology of Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)
Natural and sexual selection are frequently invoked as causes of sexual size dimorphism in animals. Many species of turtles, including the Diamond-backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), exhibit sexual dimorphism in body size, possibly enabling the sexes to exploit different resources and reduce intraspecific competition. Female terrapins not only have larger body sizes but also disproportionatelyAuthorsElizabeth B. Underwood, Sarah Bowers, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Carole A. Taylor, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Michael E. DorcasNest guarding by female Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California
We observed behavior consistent with nest-guarding in Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at two nests in a large wind-energy-generation facility near Palm Springs, California, locally known as the Mesa Wind Farm. As researchers approached the nests, female desert tortoises moved to the entrance of their burrows and positioned themselves sideways, directly over their nests. One female sAuthorsMickey Agha, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Ethan WilcoxA quantitative analysis of the state of knowledge of turtles of the United States and Canada
The “information age” ushered in an explosion of knowledge and access to knowledge that continues to revolutionize society. Knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of published papers, has been growing at an exponential rate since the early 1970s, a phenomenon mirrored in all scientific disciplines. Although knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of citations for papers in scientifiAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. EnnenAssessing the state of knowledge of utility-scale wind energy development and operation on non-volant terrestrial and marine wildlife
A great deal has been published in the scientific literature regarding the effects of wind energy development and operation on volant (flying) wildlife including birds and bats, although knowledge of how to mitigate negative impacts is still imperfect. We reviewed the peer-reviewed scientific literature for information on the known and potential effects of utility-scale wind energy development andAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government