Connor Pogue Email & Phone Number

Athens, Georgia, United States

During my summer employment with the University of Georgia's Maerz lab, I collaborated with a coordinated team on intensive salamander surveys in the Unicoi, Nantahala, and Great Smoky Mountains. During the day, we conducted stream surveys to study larval black-bellied salamanders and aquatic invertebrates. This involved utilizing dipnets, kicknets, and hand-capture techniques. Additionally, our responsibilities extended into the night, where we engaged in terrestrial surveys, illuminated by headlamps, to survey salamander presence and diversity.Species encountered during these surveys included Chattahoochee slimy salamanders (Plethodon chattahoochee), red-legged salamanders (Plethodon shermani), red-cheeked salamanders (Plethodon jordani), southern gray-cheeked salamanders (Plethodon metcalfi), southern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon serratus), Ocoee salamanders (Desmognathus ocoee), Cherokee mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus adatsihi), central shovel-nosed salamanders (Desmognathus intermedius), seal salamanders (Desmognathus monticola), spotted dusky salamanders (Desmognathus conanti), Santeetlah dusky salamanders (Desmognathus santeetlah), southern black-bellied salamanders (Desmognathus amphileucus), Cherokee black-bellied salamanders (Desmognathys gvnigeusgwotli), dwarf black-bellied salamanders (Desmognathus folkertsi), seepage salamanders (Desmognathus aeneus), Chattooga dusky salamanders (Desmognathus chattooga), southern pygmy salamanders (Desmognathus wrighti), Blue Ridge two-lined salamanders (Eurycea wilderae), eastern newts (Notophthalmus viridescens), red salamanders (Pseudotriton ruber), spring salamanders (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus), and eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis).

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

During my semester at the Amphibian Foundation, I dedicated my time to various activities that contributed to three distinct research projects. These endeavors involved collecting field data with a small and coordinated team, practicing husbandry for a captive colony of imperiled and exotic herpetofauna (including species like frosted flatwoods salamanders, gopher frogs, striped newts, tiger salamanders, among others), and participating in field surveys aimed at monitoring imperiled amphibians native to Georgia, such as Pigeon Mountain salamanders.The project in which I played a central role was an ecomorphological study focusing on metamorphosed southern gray treefrogs (Dryophytes chrysoscelis). This study delved into the correlation between body size, rates of evaporative water loss, jumping performance, and the impact of varying hydration levels on jumping performance. I am honored to have been given first authorship and the chance to write my first scientific paper on the project.Additionally, I am listed as an author on another paper stemming from my involvement in a long-term mark-recapture study. This study concentrated on a diverse turtle community thriving within the urban matrix of metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Turtles were captured using traps, as well as by hand and dipnet. Each turtle underwent measurement, painless marking through filing into their shell scutes, photographic documentation, and subsequent release.The third project I participated in was a comprehensive survey of reptiles and amphibians across metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The survey employed various methods, including visual and aural encounters, dip-netting, and flipping cover objects. Over the study's duration, we surveyed 110 parks, preserves, and green spaces, all subject to varying metrics and levels of urbanization. The objective was to assess the presence of species and biodiversity of herpetofauna within these transformed environments.

Bachelor'S Degree, Conservation Biology

Associate Of Science - As, Conservation Biology