My students and I conduct research on how land use impacts ecological
processes in a variety of systems. Here is an introduction to our current studies. An * indicates an undergraduate student.
1. TurtlePop: Population Structure of Freshwater Turtles along an Urbanization Gradient. An Ecological Research as Education (EREN) Pilot Project
Researchers find skewed age and sex ratios in freshwater turtle species and these findings are often attributed to anthropogenic changes in the landscape. A high concentration of roads near turtle nesting sites may, for example, selectively increase mortality of adult females, leading to a male-skewed population. Increased predation of nests caused by a high density of predators that flourish in human-dominated landscapes (e.g. raccoons, opposums) may reduce juvenile recruitment and cause an adult-skewed population. As of now, each of these statements has not been rigorously tested due in part to the spatial restrictions of the few studies that have been conducted. In the TurtlePop project, members of EREN will conduct turtle sampling in lentic habitats on or near campus in order to determine the population structure of turtles across an urbanization gradient.
Presentations and Publications
Bowne, D.R., A. Doran*,C.P. Bloch, D.L. Druckenbrod, J. Dosch, T.S. Fredricksen, D. Garneau, K.S. Genet, P.A. Kish, M.B. Kolozsvary, F.T. Kuserk, E.S. Lindquist, C. Mankiewicz, J.G. March, T.J. Muir, K.G. Murray, J.A. Simmons, R. Urban, C. Zimmermann. 2013. Population structure of freshwater turtles across North America: An Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN) collaborative project. Ecological Society of America. Minneapolis, MN.
Bowne, D.R., and J. Schoonmaker.* 2012. Biased sex ratio and age distribution in a suburban population of Chrysemys picta (painted turtle). Ecological Society of America. Portland, OR.
Bowne, D.R. 2011. TURTLEPOP: Population Structure of Freshwater Turtles along an Urbanization Gradient. In Developing Collaborative Research Projects in the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN). Ecological Society of America. Austin, TX.
Schoonmaker, J.* and D.R. Bowne. 2010. Population study of freshwater turtles: the effects of suburban habitat on population structure. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Fredericksburg, VA.
2. Response of amphibians to a wetland restoration
GRANT: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. “Herpetological Assessment of Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, PA.” Summer 2010 – ongoing.
Presentations and Publications
Payne, C.* and D.R. Bowne. 2013. Response of salamanders to legacy sediment removal at Big Spring Run, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Dover, DE.
Payne, C.*, S. Hartzell,* and D.R. Bowne. 2012. Restoration stream data for amphibian populations at Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, PA, USA. Ecological Society of America. Portland, OR.
Payne, C.*, S. Hartzell,* and D.R. Bowne. 2012. Pre-restoration stream data for amphibian populations at Big Spring Run, Lancaster County, PA. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Blacksburg, VA. Won 1st place for Best Undergraduate Poster.
Torre, M.* and D.R. Bowne 2010. Amphibian use of agricultural streams. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Fredericksburg, VA.
3.Effects of legacy sediment on bog turtle habitat
Presentations and Publications
Bowne, D.R., C. Grand Pre, J. Hartranft, W. Hilgartner, D. Merritts, A. Miller*, M. Rahnis, and R. Walter. 2013. Is bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) habitat buried under 250 year-old sediment? Re-evaluating conventional wisdom concerning habitat loss. International Congress for Conservation Biology. Baltimore, MD.
Hilgartner, W., D. Merritts, R. Walter, M. Rahnis, J. Hartranft, D. Bowne, A. Miller*, C. Grand Pre, and C. Bernhardt. 2013. Millennial Stability and Post-settlement Burial of Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) Habitat in Two Piedmont Valleys of Maryland and Pennsylvania. International Congress for Conservation Biology. Baltimore, MD.
Walter, R., D. Merritts, D. Bowne, J. Hartranft, W. Hilgartner, C. Grand Pre, P. Mayer, M. Rahnis, and A. Miller*. 2013. Habitat Restoration in Watersheds Impacted by Legacy Sediments and Implications for the Bog Turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii). International Congress for Conservation Biology. Baltimore, MD.
Miller, A.*, D.R. Bowne, C. Grand Pre, J. Hartranft, W. Hilgartner, D. Merritts, M. Rahnis, and R. Walter. 2013. Impact of historical milldams on habitat of the bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii), a federally listed species. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Dover, DE. Won 2nd place for Best Undergraduate Poster.
4. Carbon dynamics in urbanizing landscapes.
Bowne, D.R. and E. Johnson.* 2013. Comparison of soil carbon dioxide efflux between residential lawns and corn fields. Soil Science Society of America Journal. doi:10.2136/sssaj2012.0346N Check out the press release.
Johnson, E.* and D.R. Bowne. 2012. A comparison of soil respiration in turf grass and agricultural environments. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Blacksburg, VA.
Phillips, A.* and D.R. Bowne. 2012. Carbon sequestration by trees on the campus of Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Blacksburg, VA.
5. Long-term spatial dynamics of a painted turtle population in northern Virginia.
Since 1998, I have conducted a study of the spatial population dynamics of painted turtles at Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, VA.
Presentations and Publications
Bowne, D.R. 2008. Terrestrial activity of Chrysemys picta in northern Virginia. Copeia. 2008(2): 306 – 310.
Freedberg, S. and D.R. Bowne. 2006. Mark-recapture of maturing juveniles reveals non-Fisherian sex ratios in a reptile with environmental sex determination. Evolutionary Ecology Research. 8: 1499 – 1510.
Bowne, D.R., M.A. Bowers, and J.E. Hines. 2006. Connectivity in an agricultural landscape as reflected by interpond movements of a freshwater turtle.Conservation Biology. 20: 780 – 791.
Bowne, D.R. and H. White*. 2004. Searching strategy of Chrysemys picta (painted turtle) across spatial scale. Animal Behaviour. 68: 1401 – 1409.
Bowne, D.R. and M.A. Bowers. 2004. Interpatch movements in spatially structured populations: a literature review. Landscape Ecology. 19: 1 – 20.
Bowne, D.R. 2003. Interpond movement patterns of Chrysemys picta picta (eastern painted turtle) in Virginia. Chelonian Conservation and Biology. 4: 739 – 741.
6. Impact of land use on antibiotic resistance in bacteria
GRANT: Student Challenge Awards Program, Earthwatch Institute. “Mapping antibiotic resistant bacteria across a landscape.” Project includes support and training for 8 high school students. Co-PI: Dr. Debra Wohl, Elizabethtown College. $16,326. Summer 2009. Check out the student-created video.
Presentations and Publications
Wohl, D.L. and D.R. Bowne. 2010. A landscape perspective on antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria. American Society of Microbiologists. Toronto, CN.
Wohl, D.L. and D.R. Bowne. 2010. A landscape perspective on antibiotic resistance in soil bacteria. International Society of Microbial Ecology. Seattle, WA.
McDonald, R.*, D.R. Bowne, and D.L. Wohl. 2009. Urban Ecology in Miniature: Spatial analysis of antibiotic resistance in Enterobacter spp. Isolates gathered from soils of Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. Ecological Society of America, Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Trenton, NJ.
Bowne, D.R. and D.L. Wohl. 2008. Mapping antibiotic resistant bacteria across a landscape: a collaborative ecological experience for high school students, undergraduates, and faculty. Ecological Society of America, Milwaukee, WI.
Wohl, D.L. and D.R. Bowne. 2008. Superbugs are everywhere! Antibiotic resistant bacteria in farms, forests, and front yards. Ecological Society of America, Milwaukee, WI.