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
Golden Eagle mortality at a utility-scale wind energy facility near Palm Springs, California
Turbines and terrestrial vertebrates: variation in tortoise survivorship between a wind energy facility and an adjacent undisturbed wildland area in the desert southwest (USA)
The effect of research activities and winter precipitation on voiding behaviour of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)
Not putting all their eggs in one basket: bet-hedging despite extraordinary annual reproductive output of desert tortoises
Comment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): request for confirmation of availability of the generic name and for the nomenclatural validation of the journal in which it was published (Case 3601; BZN 70:234–237; 71:30–38; 13
Using motion-sensor camera technology to infer seasonal activity and thermal niche of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
Nelson's big horn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) trample Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) burrow at a California wind energy facility
Nest-site characteristics of Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Hybridization of two megacephalic map turtles (testudines: emydidae: Graptemys) in the Choctawhatchee River drainage of Alabama and Florida
A 21-year study of seasonal and interspecific variation of hatchling emergence in a nearctic freshwater turtle community: to overwinter or not to overwinter?
Graptemys gibbonsi Lovich and McCoy -- Pascagoula Map Turtle
Traditional cultural use as a tool for inferring biogeography and provenance: a case study involving painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and Hopi Native American culture in Arizona, USA
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 101
Golden Eagle mortality at a utility-scale wind energy facility near Palm Springs, California
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) mortality associated with wind energy turbines and infrastructure is under-reported and weakly substantiated in the published literature. I report two cases of mortality at a utility-scale renewable energy facility near Palm Springs, California. The facility has been in operation since 1984 and included 460 65KW turbines mounted on 24.4 m or 42.7 m lattice-style toAuthorsJeffrey E. LovichTurbines and terrestrial vertebrates: variation in tortoise survivorship between a wind energy facility and an adjacent undisturbed wildland area in the desert southwest (USA)
With the recent increase in utility-scale wind energy development, researchers have become increasingly concerned how this activity will affect wildlife and their habitat. To understand the potential impacts of wind energy facilities (WEF) post-construction (i.e., operation and maintenance) on wildlife, we compared differences in activity centers and survivorship of Agassiz's desert tortoises (GopAuthorsMickey Agha, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Benjamin J. Augustine, Terence R. Arundel, Mason O. Murphy, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Curtis Bjurlin, David F. Delaney, Jessica Briggs, Meaghan Austin, Sheila V. Madrak, Steven J. PriceThe effect of research activities and winter precipitation on voiding behaviour of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii)
Context: There is little information available on how research activities might cause stress responses in wildlife, especially responses of threatened species such as the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Aims: The present study aims to detect behavioural effects of researcher handling and winter precipitation on a natural population of desert tortoises in the desert of Southwestern United StaAuthorsMickey Agha, Mason O. Murphy, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Christian R. Oldham, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Curtis Bjurlin, Meaghan Austin, Sheila V. Madrak, Caleb L. Loughran, Laura A. Tennant, Steven J. PriceNot putting all their eggs in one basket: bet-hedging despite extraordinary annual reproductive output of desert tortoises
Bet-hedging theory makes the counter-intuitive prediction that, if juvenile survival is low and unpredictable, organisms should consistently reduce short-term reproductive output to minimize the risk of reproductive failure in the long-term. We investigated the long-term reproductive output of an Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) population and conformance to a bet-hedging strategy ofAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Charles B. Yackulic, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Mickey Agha, Caleb L. Loughran, Curtis Bjurlin, Meaghan Austin, Sheila V. MadrakComment on Spracklandus Hoser, 2009 (Reptilia, Serpentes, ELAPIDAE): request for confirmation of availability of the generic name and for the nomenclatural validation of the journal in which it was published (Case 3601; BZN 70:234–237; 71:30–38; 13
In Case 3601 Raymond Hoser has asked the Commission to validate for the purposes of nomenclature the name Spracklandus Hoser, 2009, and ‘the journal in which it was published,’ issue 7 of the Australasian Journal of Herpetology (AJH). We note that the entire run of AJH has been written, edited, and published solely by Hoser. Although his requests to the Commission were presented as narrow and, inAuthorsAnders G.J. Rhodin, Hinrich Kaiser, Peter Paul van Dijk, Wolfgang Wüster, Mark O’Shea, Michael Archer, Mark Auliya, Luigi Boitani, Roger Bour, Viola Clausnitzer, Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath, Brian I. Crother, Juan M. Daza, Carlos A. Driscoll, Oscar Flores-Villela, Jack Frazier, Uwe Fritz, Alfred L. Gardner, Claude Gascon, Arthur Georges, Frank Glaw, Felipe G. Grazziotin, Colin P. Groves, Gerhard Haszprunar, Peter Havaš, Jean-Marc Hero, Michael Hoffmann, Marinus S. Hoogmoed, Brian D. Horne, John B. Iverson, Manfred Jäch, Christopher L. Jenkins, Richard K.B. Jenkins, A. Ross Kiester, J. Scott Keogh, Thomas E. Lacher, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Luca Luiselli, D. Luke Mahler, David P. Mallon, Roderic Mast, Roy W. McDiarmid, John Measey, Russell A. Mittermeier, Sanjay Molur, Volker Mosbrugger, Robert W. Murphy, Darren Naish, Manfred Niekisch, Hidetoshi Ota, James F. Parham, Michael J. Parr, Nicolas J. Pilcher, Ronald H. Pine, Anthony B. Rylands, James G. Sanderson, Jay M. Savage, Wulf Schleip, Gustavo J. Scrocchi, H. Bradley Shaffer, Eric N. Smith, Robert Sprackland, Simon N. Stuart, Holger Vetter, Laurie J. Vitt, Tomás Waller, Grahame Webb, Edward O. Wilson, Hussam Zaher, Scott ThomsonUsing motion-sensor camera technology to infer seasonal activity and thermal niche of the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
Understanding the relationships between environmental variables and wildlife activity is an important part of effective management. The desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), an imperiled species of arid environments in the southwest US, may have increasingly restricted windows for activity due to current warming trends. In summer 2013, we deployed 48 motion sensor cameras at the entrances of tortoAuthorsMickey Agha, Benjamin Augustine, Jeffrey E. Lovich, David F. Delaney, Barry Sinervo, Mason O. Murphy, Joshua R. Ennen, Jessica R. Briggs, Robert J. Cooper, Steven J. PriceNelson's big horn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) trample Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) burrow at a California wind energy facility
Research on interactions between Agassiz's desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) and ungulates has focused exclusively on the effects of livestock grazing on tortoises and their habitat (Oldemeyer, 1994). For example, during a 1980 study in San Bernardino County, California, 164 desert tortoise burrows were assessed for vulnerability to trampling by domestic sheep (Ovis aries). Herds of grazing shAuthorsMickey Agha, David F. Delaney, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Jessica Briggs, Meaghan Austin, Steven J. PriceNest-site characteristics of Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Nest-site selection can affect both the survival and fitness of female turtles and their offspring. In many turtle species, the nest environment determines the thermal regime during incubation, length of incubation period, sex ratio of the hatchlings, and exposure to predators and other forms of mortality for both mothers and their offspring. Between 1974 and 2012, we collected detailed data on haAuthorsRobert T. Zappalorti, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Ray F. Farrell, Michael E. ToroccoHybridization of two megacephalic map turtles (testudines: emydidae: Graptemys) in the Choctawhatchee River drainage of Alabama and Florida
Map turtles of the genus Graptemys are highly aquatic and rarely undergo terrestrial movements, and limited dispersal among drainages has been hypothesized to drive drainage-specific endemism and high species richness of this group in the southeastern United States. Until recently, two members of the megacephalic “pulchra clade,” Graptemys barbouri andGraptemys ernsti, were presumed to be allopatrAuthorsJames Godwin, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Brian R. Kreiser, Brian Folt, Chris LechowiczA 21-year study of seasonal and interspecific variation of hatchling emergence in a nearctic freshwater turtle community: to overwinter or not to overwinter?
Hatchling emergence patterns were studied in a community of six species of freshwater turtles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. including: Chelydra serpentina, Chrysemys picta, Clemmys guttata, Glyptemys insculpta, G. muhlenbergii, and Sternotherus odoratus. Data were collected every year from 1965 to 1985 on estimated date of emergence, carapace length, April – May precipitation, August –AuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Carl H. Ernst, Evelyn M. Ernst, Julia L. RileyGraptemys gibbonsi Lovich and McCoy -- Pascagoula Map Turtle
DEFINITION. 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, femalesAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. EnnenTraditional cultural use as a tool for inferring biogeography and provenance: a case study involving painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and Hopi Native American culture in Arizona, USA
Inferring the natural distribution and native status of organisms is complicated by the role of ancient and modern humans in utilization and translocation. Archaeological data and traditional cultural use provide tools for resolving these issues. Although the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) has a transcontinental range in the United States, populations in the Desert Southwest are scattered and isAuthorsJeffrey E. Lovich, Charles T. LaRue, Charles A. Drost, Terence R. Arundel - 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