I am a wildlife ecologist who studies the demographic, behavioral, and evolutionary responses of animals to natural and human caused environmental change and how to use that knowledge to support agencies and communities improve their management of wildlife.
Dennis and Sarah Carey Distinguished Professor of Forestry and Natural Resources and Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor
I am a wildlife ecologist who studies the demographic, behavioral, and evolutionary responses of animals to natural and human caused environmental change and how to use that knowledge to support agencies and communities improve their management of wildlife. My projects range from long-term studies of animal responses to climate, land use, invasive species, and habitat management and evaluating management actions and developing tools to mitigate human impacts on wildlife and recover and sustain wild animal populations. A significant portion of my research focuses on the ecology and management of amphibians and reptiles, but I also work on projects related to the ecology and management of birds and insects.
Dr. John Maerz is Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor and Professor of Vertebrate Ecology in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and Adjunct Professor in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. He is an affiliated faculty with the Center for Integrative Conservation’s ICON Program and the Animal Behavior Integrative Life Sciences Group. Dr. Maerz joined the University of Georgia faculty in 2005 after 4 years as a Research Associate in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. He received his B.Sc. in Biology (Zoology) from the University of Maryland and a Ph.D. in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is Co-PI and member of the Science Advisory Committee for the Coweeta LTER; a member of the IUCN Amphibian Specialist Group, Ecological Society of America, The Wildlife Society, and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles; and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Wildlife Management.