Thomas Hetherington

My current research centers on the conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles.   Specific projects include:

(1)  Impacts of the invasive fungal pathogen Batrachochytridium dendrobatidis on amphibian faunas in temperate environments (Ohio) and the high Andes of Ecuador.  The focus is on how temperature affects dynamics of the host-pathogen relationship between amphibians and the fungus in these different environments.

(2)  Conservation of harlequin frogs (genus Atelopus) in Latin America.  The focus is on the identification, monitoring, and conservation of surviving populations following impacts of the invasive fungal pathogen Batrachochytridium dendrobatidis.

(3)  Repatriation of amphibian species to newly protected and restored urban natural areas in central Ohio.  The major project involves studies of repatriation success of wood frogs (Lithobates sylvatica) to protected areas with different proportions of forested habitat.

(4)  Ecological niche modeling of the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) in Ohio.  The project focuses on using GIS methods to develop niche models to identify suitable habitat for purposes of finding and conserving new populations of this threatened species.