Graduate Students | Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory | SIU

Jacob Hutton

Email: jacob.hutton@siu.edu 

Advisors:  Dr. Robin Warne

Research Interest:

Amphibians represent one of the most endangered groups of vertebrates, with conservative estimates suggesting 33% of all species are at risk of extinction. Researchers have shown that climate change will be extremely challenging for ectothermic animals, such as amphibians, because of increased environmental temperatures. As amphibian populations continue to decline globally, the need for greater understanding of conservative physiological research tools rapidly increases. Specifically, if or how amphibians can cope with novel or chronic temperature pressures is a critical question considering the magnitude and rapid pace of global climate change.

In addition to examining physiological responses of amphibians to climate, I will also be monitoring the influence of temporal water regimes and weather patterns on amphibian breeding phenology, distribution, abundance, and community structure in the Buttonland Swamp of the Lower Cache River Valley in Southern Illinois.