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
Graptemys pearlensis Ennen, Lovich, Kreiser, Selman, and Qualls 2010 – Pearl River Map Turtle
Aspects of the reproductive ecology of female turtles in New Mexico
Energy development
A potential predator-prey interaction of an American badger and an Agassiz's desert tortoise with a review of badger predation on turtles
Interdrainage morphological and genetic differentiation in the Escambia Map Turtle, Graptemys ernsti
Using climate, energy, and spatial-based hypotheses to interpret macroecological patterns of North America chelonians
A morphological review of subspecies of the Asian box turtle, Cuora amboinensis (Testudines, Geomydidae)
Measuring the impact of invasive species on popular culture: a case study based on toy turtles from Japan
Gopherus Agassizii (Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise). Mechanical Injury
Relationships of maternal body size and morphology with egg and clutch size in the diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin (Testudines: Emydidae)
Interanal seam loss in Asian turtles of the Cuora flavomarginata complex (Testudines, Geoemydidae)
Intersexual allometry differences and ontogenetic shifts of coloration patterns in two aquatic turtles, Graptemys oculifera and Graptemys flavimaculata
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 101
Graptemys pearlensis Ennen, Lovich, Kreiser, Selman, and Qualls 2010 – Pearl River Map Turtle
The Pearl River Map Turtle, Graptemys pearlensis (Family Emydidae), is a moderate-sized aquatic turtle endemic to the Pearl River drainage of Louisiana and Mississippi. This taxon has long been a cryptic species, as it was considered part of G. pulchra before 1992 and part of G. gibbonsi until 2010. Graptemys pearlensis exhibits sexual dimorphism, with adult females being considerably larger (caraAuthorsJoshua R. Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Robert L. JonesAspects of the reproductive ecology of female turtles in New Mexico
Data on reproductive ecology of turtles in New Mexico are limited, and some species living there are among the least studied in the United States. We trapped 4 native species of turtles (Apalone spinifera, Chrysemys picta, Pseudemys gorzugi, and Trachemys gaigeae gaigeae) in the Rio Grande and Black River (Pecos River drainage) of New Mexico in June 2012 and 2013 to collect data on female reproducAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Charlie Painter, Levi Cole, Austin Fitzgerald, Kevin Narum, Randy JenningsEnergy development
Large areas of the desert southwest are currently developed or being evaluated for construction of utility-scale renewable energy projects. These projects include numerous solar and wind energy facilities some of which will be massive. Unfortunately, peer-reviewed scientific publications are not yet available to evaluate the potential effects of solar-based utility-scale renewable energy developmeAuthorsJeffrey E. LovichA potential predator-prey interaction of an American badger and an Agassiz's desert tortoise with a review of badger predation on turtles
The federally threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1990, but thus far, recovery efforts have been unsuccessful (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS] 2015). Predation has been identified as a contributing factor to declining G. agassizii populations range-wide (e.g., Esque et al. 2010, Lovich et al. 2014). Understanding andAuthorsAmanda L. Smith, Shellie R. Puffer, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Laura A. Tennant, Terence R. Arundel, Michael S. Vamstad, Kathleen D. BrundigeInterdrainage morphological and genetic differentiation in the Escambia Map Turtle, Graptemys ernsti
Graptemys ernsti, the Escambia Map Turtle, inhabits the Escambia/Conecuh River, the adjacent Yellow River, and the Pea River further to the east, all of which have been distinct drainage systems since the Pleistocene. We used continuous and meristic morphological and genetic data to compare populations of G. ernsti and found evidence of differences among the three drainages. Frequency of occurrencAuthorsJoshua R. Ennen, James Godwin, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Brian R. Kreiser, Brian Folt, Sarah HazardUsing climate, energy, and spatial-based hypotheses to interpret macroecological patterns of North America chelonians
Our study investigates how factors, such as latitude, productivity, and several environmental variables, influence contemporary patterns of the species richness in North American turtles. In particular, we test several hypotheses explaining broad-scale species richness patterns on several species richness data sets: (i) total turtles, (ii) freshwater turtles only, (iii) aquatic turtles, (iv) terreAuthorsJoshua R. Ennen, Mickey Agha, Wilfredo A. Matamoros, Sarah C. Hazzard, Jeffrey E. LovichA morphological review of subspecies of the Asian box turtle, Cuora amboinensis (Testudines, Geomydidae)
The turtle Cuora amboinensis has an extensive distribution covering most of southern mainland Asia, Indonesia, and extending to the Philippine Islands. Unlike many species, C. amboinensis occurs on both sides of Wallace's Line separating Asian and Australian flora and fauna. Four subspecies are currently recognized; Cuora a. kamaroma (southern continental Asia, Java and the northern Philippines [iAuthorsCarl H. Ernst, Arndt F. Laemmerzahl, Jeffrey E. LovichMeasuring the impact of invasive species on popular culture: a case study based on toy turtles from Japan
The red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta elegans) is native to portions of the United States of America (USA) and adjacent northeastern Mexico. The bright and colorful hatchlings have long been popular as pets globally but numerous individuals have been released into the wild establishing populations in areas well outside their native range. As a result, slider turtles are now introduced worAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Katsuya YamamotoGopherus Agassizii (Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise). Mechanical Injury
On 3 June 2015 at 1024 h, a team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists located an immature Gopherus agassizii (Agassiz’s desert tortoise) at Joshua Tree National Park, near the southern Cottonwood Canyon entrance. The habitat in the area is typical of the Sonoran Desert in that part of California with various trees and shrubs including Larrea tridentate (creosote bush), Parkinsonia florida (blue paAuthorsAmanda Smith, Laura A. Tennant, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Terence R. ArundelRelationships of maternal body size and morphology with egg and clutch size in the diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin (Testudines: Emydidae)
Because resources are finite, female animals face trade-offs between the size and number of offspring they are able to produce during a single reproductive event. Optimal egg size (OES) theory predicts that any increase in resources allocated to reproduction should increase clutch size with minimal effects on egg size. Variations of OES predict that egg size should be optimized, although not necesAuthorsMaximilian M. Kern, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Jeffrey E. Lovich, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Michael E. DorcasInteranal seam loss in Asian turtles of the Cuora flavomarginata complex (Testudines, Geoemydidae)
The taxonomy of Asian box turtles of the genus Cuora is complicated by the description of numerous valid and invalid taxa over the last several decades. However, some characteristics used to differentiate species are questionable. Members of the C. flavomarginata complex are defined by some, but not all, taxonomists as having reduced interanal seam lengths relative to other species. We examined thAuthorsCarl H. Ernst, Jeffrey E. LovichIntersexual allometry differences and ontogenetic shifts of coloration patterns in two aquatic turtles, Graptemys oculifera and Graptemys flavimaculata
Coloration can play critical roles in a species' biology. The allometry of color patterns may be useful for elucidating the evolutionary mechanisms responsible for shaping the traits. We measured characteristics relating to eight aspects of color patterns from Graptemys oculifera and G. flavimaculata to investigate the allometric differences among male, female, and unsexed juvenile specimens. AddiAuthorsJoshua R. Ennen, Peter V. Lindeman, Jeffrey E. Lovich - 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