Kurt Buhlmann

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
P O Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802
(803) 725-5293 office
(803) 725-3309 fax
buhlmann(at)uga.edu

Research interests: A major focus of my research has been the life history and evolutionary ecology of amphibians and reptiles, primarily chelonians, with application to conservation and habitat management. Past research has included evaluation of terrestrial habitat requirements of aquatic herpetofauna in seasonal wetlands; the effects of prescribed fire, invasive species control, wetland restoration, and other land management practices on herpetofauna; design of turtle reintroduction methodologies; and basic population inventory and monitoring. Though much of my research has focused on the Southeastern US, I have also been involved with turtle conservation efforts on a global scale.

Current Projects:

• Repatriation of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) on the Savannah River Site
• Global Action Plan for the Conservation of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles - Conservation International

Past Projects:

• Life history of chicken turtles (Dierochelys reticulata) in fluctuating aquatic habitats
• Terrestrial habitat use by aquatic turtles pf Carolina bays: implications for upland habitat conservation
• An inventory of the limestone cave biota of northwestern Georgia
  This recently completed project with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and local caving grottos has identified several caves with significant biological resources. During the survey work we collected new distributional records for several rare cave-dwelling invertebrates, as well as confirming the Tennessee cave salamander (Gyrinophilus palleucus) as a member of Georgia's herpetofauna.
• The ecology of eastern tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia sinkhole ponds
  This work, funded in part by the U.S. Forest Service, has identified breeding sites for this state-endangered species. Ages of reproductively active salamanders have been estimated using skeletchronology techniques.
• Investigations into the phylogeographic relationships of turtles in the southeastern United States
• An investigation into the effects of introduced fire ants on turtle egg hatching and emergence success