Associate Research Scientist, Conservation Biology

Additional Campus Affiliations

Associate Research Scientist, Conservation Biology, Illinois Natural History Survey
Research Assistant Professor, Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences

Recent Publications

Corush, J. B., Cucalón, R. V., Metzke, B. A., Tan, M., & Davis, M. A. (2025). Pleistocene glaciation and Anthropocene fragmentation influence genetic variation in the Illinois state–listed mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 108(6), 905-922. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-025-01686-8

Iacaruso, N. J., Reves, O. P., Merkelz, S. J., Waldrep, C. L., & Davis, M. A. (Accepted/In press). A systematic review evaluating the performance of eDNA methods relative to conventional methods for biodiversity monitoring. Ecography. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecog.07952

Johnson, M. D., Tetzlaff, S. J., Katz, A. D., Tiemann, J., Smith, C., Dana, C. E., Pearce, S. E., Davis, M. A., Hartman, J. H., & Sperry, J. H. (2025). Environmental DNA Metabarcoding Elucidates Freshwater Mussel Diversity and Occupancy to Facilitate Improved Management and Conservation. Diversity and Distributions, 31(3), Article e70008. https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.70008

Laserna, A. V., Phillips, C. A., Kuhns, A. R., Davis, M. A., Corush, J. B., & Paige, K. N. (2025). Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Hybridization in an Alloploid Salamander (Ambystomatidae: Ambystoma) and Conservation Implications of Introgression in a Unisexual Vertebrate. Ecology and Evolution, 15(1), Article e70765. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70765

Samuels, L. R. N., Wilcox, T., Hoffman, M., Elmore, M., Aldredge, R., Stegenga, B. S., Bogan, J. E., Davis, M. A., Hertz, S., Schwartz, M. K., & Chandler, H. C. (2025). Comparison of camera traps, eDNA, and visual encounter surveys for threatened species detection. Journal for Nature Conservation, 86, Article 126948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2025.126948

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