Kurt A. 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:

• Design of Amphibian and Reptile Monitoring Protocols for Eight National Parks in the Gulf Coast Region (Kurt A. Buhlmann, J.D. Willson) in collaboration with U.S. National Park Service
• Reintroduction of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) to the Aiken Gopher Tortoise Natural Heritage Preserve (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Tracey D. Tuberville and Andrew Grosse) in collaboration with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• Inventory and Management of Flatwood Salamanders (Ambystoma bishopi) on U.S. Naval Airfields, Pensacola, Florida (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Brian D. Metts, Andrew Grosse, and Matt Erickson) in collaboration with U.S. Navy
• Habitat Management and Nesting Ecology of Bog Turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) and Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) on Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, New Jersey (Kurt A. Buhlmann) in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Headstarting and Reintroduction of Blandings Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) to Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, Massachusetts (Kurt A. Buhlmann and Tracey D. Tuberville) in collaboration with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Design of Artificial Nesting Structures to Reduce Automobile Mortality of Nesting Diamondback Terrapins (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Brian Crawford (M.S. Student), and Andrew Grosse) in collaboration with Georgia Sea Turtle Center and Jeykll Island Authority
• Inventory and Monitoring Handbook for Amphibians and Reptiles (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Gabrielle Graeter (SREL Alumnus), and J. Whitfield Gibbons) in collaboration with Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)
• Habitat Selection of Adult and Metamorphic Gopher Frogs (Rana capito) (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Andrew Grosse, Robert Horan, and Brian Metts) in collaboration with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
• Natural History and Assurance Colony Development of Select Threatened Asian Turtle Species (Kurt A. Buhlmann and Cris Hagen) in collaboration with Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA)
• Life History of Chicken Turtles (Deirochelys reticularia) (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Justin D. Congdon, J. Whitfield Gibbons, and Judith L. Greene)

Past Projects:

• Global Conservation Priority Areas for the World’s Turtles (Kurt A. Buhlmann, Thomas S. B. Akre (SREL Alumnus), Deno Karapatakis (SREL Alumnus), and J.W. Gibbons) in collaboration with Conservation International, Earlham College, Chelonian Research Foundation, University of Canberra)
• Habitat Management Guidelines for Amphibians and Reptiles of the Southeast and Northeast United States (Kurt A. Buhlmann) in collaboration with Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC), Mitchell Ecological Research, Conservation Southeast, and New York Department of Environmental Conservation
• Repatriation of gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) on the Savannah River Site
• Global Action Plan for the Conservation of Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles - Conservation International
• 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