C. Ray Chandler
Department of Biology
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, Georgia 30460-8042
 
chandler@georgiasouthern.edu
Office: 912-681-5657
Lab: 912-681-0801
Fax: 912-681-0845

 

Welcome to my homepage. That's me in a village along the Sambu River in Panama. Scroll on down or hit the links below to learn more about my research and teaching here at Georgia Southern.

 Research Interests

 Publications

 Graduate Students

 Teaching

 
Research Interests
 
My research focuses on the ecology, evolution, and behavior of birds and other terrestrial vertebrates. Although birds are my principal research interest, I have also worked with snakes, lizards, small mammals, and salamanders. Most of my research (and that of my students) is strongly field-oriented and is carried out primarily in the southeastern United States. Currently, I pursue research in four broad areas.
 
1. Habitat selection and use in managed or altered landscapes. Birds and other terrestrial vertebrates must increasingly select habitat in highly manipulated landscapes. In the southeast these manipulations include a growing timber industry, fire suppression, fragmentation, urban and suburban sprawl, coastal development, etc. It is of considerable theoretical and practical importance to understand how these forces impact the selection and use of habitats by terrestrial vertebrates. My students and I have pursued this question in a diversity of systems, including studies of the effects of prescribed burning on grassland birds wintering in pine savannas (in collaboration with Mark Woodrey, research coordinator for the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve), the use of habitat "islands" by migrant birds during stopover, and the habitat associations of small mammals in agricultural landscapes.
 
2. Ecological, behavioral, and morphological aspects of avian migration. Migration provides birds the opportunity to exploit the environment on a global scale. However, migration also poses a host of behavioral, ecological, and morphological challenges that have been the focus of a variety of studies in my lab. Working with Robert Mulvihill at Powdermill Nature Reserve of the Carnegie Museum, I have quantified intraspecific variation in wing shape and its possible relationship to differential migration. In collaboration with both Bob Mulvihill and Mark Woodrey, I am quantifying age-related differences in migratory timing and beginning to test hypotheses to explain these differences. Lastly, an ongoing interest in the stopover ecology of migrant birds is reflected in student projects on stopover of songbirds in the southeast and Swallow-tailed Kites in Central America.
 
3. Conservation and management of rare or threatened species. As human impacts on natural habitats increase, many species are becoming dependent on active conservation or management efforts. Much of the work in my lab is aimed at improving these efforts, both ex situ and in situ. In a captive setting, my students have worked - with support from the Wildlife Conservation Society's St. Catherines Island Species Survival Center - to improve captive management techniques for rare African ungulates. In the field, projects have addressed methods to inventory nongame wildlife (salamanders), management techniques for endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, and genetic diversity in isolated populations of Florida Burrowing Owls.
 
4. Basic behavioral ecology. Finally, I maintain a strong interest in questions at the interface of behavior and ecology. For example, in collaboration with Ellen Ketterson and Val Nolan Jr., I have studied the effects of testosterone on the spatial activity of male birds and how spatial activity mediates alternative reproductive options. Student projects include studies of niche relationships in songbirds, patterns of biparental care in raptors, and factors affecting nest predation.
 
Research in my lab has been funded by American Cyanamid, American Museum of Natural History, American Ornithologists' Union, Association of Field Ornithologists, Atlanta Audubon Society, Biological Resources Division of USGS, Bobolink Foundation, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Ornithological Society, Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Fund, Mountain Lake Biological Station, Raptor Research Foundation, Fort Stewart, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Wilson Ornithological Society.
 
Publications
 
Chandler, C.R., L.M. Wolfe, and D. Promislow. 2007. The Chicago guide to landing a job in academic biology. Chicago University Press, New York.
 
Chandler, C.R., and R.S. Mulvihill. 2005. Age-related variation in flight morphology of Song Sparrows: adaptation or constraint? Journal of Avian Biology, in press.
 
Mitchell, L.R., C.R. Chandler, and L.D. Carlile. 2005. Habitat as a predictor of southern flying squirrel abundance in red-cockaded woodpecker cavity clusters. Journal of Wildlife Management 69(1):418­423.
 
Spadgenske, E.W., C.R. Chandler, and S.A. Lindemann-Mitchell. 2004. Foraging habitat and reproductive success in Red-cockaded Woodpecker groups in southeastern Georgia. Pp. 577-585 in Red-cockaded Woodpecker: road to recovery (R. Costa and S.J. Daniel, eds.). Hancock House Publishers, Blaine, Washington.
 
Somershoe, S.G, and C.R. Chandler. 2004. Use of oak hammocks by Neotropical migrant songbirds: the role of area and habitat. Wilson Bulletin 116(1):56-63.
 
Somershoe, S.G., S.P. Hudman, and C.R. Chandler. 2003. Habitat use by Swainson's Warblers in a managed bottomland forest. Wilson Bulletin 115(2):148-154.
 
Hudman, S.P., and C.R. Chandler. 2002. Spatial and habitat relationships of Red-eyed and Blue-headed Vireos in the southern Appalachians. Wilson Bulletin 114(2):227-234.
 
Houze, C.M., Jr., and C.R. Chandler. 2002. Evaluation of coverboards for sampling terrestrial salamanders in south Georgia. Journal of Herpetology 36(1):75-81.
 
Chandler, C.R. and E. Lewis. 2001. Status of the White-winged Dove in Georgia. Oriole 66(1,2):9-14.
 
Chandler, C.R., Q. Fang, and W.T. Denton. 2000. Genetic variation within and among populations of Florida Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia floridana). Final Report, Project NG96-102. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Tallahassee, Florida.
 
Somershoe, S.G., and C.R. Chandler. 2000. Stopover site fidelity of migrant songbirds along the Georgia coast. Oriole 65(1,2):6-8.
 
Rotenberry, J.T., and C.R. Chandler. 1999. Dynamics of warbler assemblages during migration. Auk 116(3):769-780.
 
Mitchell, L.R., L.D. Carlile, and C.R. Chandler. 1999. Effects of southern flying squirrels on nest success of red-cockaded woodpeckers. Journal of Wildlife Management 63(2):538-545.
 
E.D. Ketterson, P.G. Parker, S.A. Raouf, V. Nolan, Jr., C. Ziegenfus, and C.R. Chandler. 1998. The relative impact of extra-pair fertilizations on variation in male and female reproductive success in Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis). Pp. 81-101 in P. Parker and N.B. Burley, eds. Avian reproductive tactics: female and male perspectives. Ornithological Monographs No. 49. (PDF)
 
Chandler, C.R., S.A. Lindemann, A.A. Kinsey, and R. Shuford. 1997. Late-summer congregation of Swallow-tailed Kites in southeast Georgia. Oriole 62(3,4):29-34.
 
Titus, R.S., C.R. Chandler, E.D. Ketterson, V. Nolan Jr. 1997. Song rates of dark-eyed juncos do not increase when females are fertile. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 41(3):165-169. (PDF)
 
Chandler, C.R., E.D. Ketterson, and V. Nolan Jr. 1997. Effects of testosterone on use of space by male dark-eyed juncos, Junco hyemalis, when their mates are fertile. Animal Behaviour 54(3):543-549. (PDF)
 
Chandler, C.R., J.M. Cawthorn, and G.M. Turano. 1997. Nesting by Horned Larks on the lower coastal plain of Georgia. Oriole 62(1,2):1-3.
 
Chandler, C.R. 1997. The winter habitat of the Henslow's Sparrow. Missouri Prairie Journal 18(2):4-5.
 
Woodrey, M.S. and C.R. Chandler. 1997. Age-related timing of migration: geographic and interspecific patterns. Wilson Bulletin 109(1):52-67.
 
Chandler, C.R. 1996. Eastern Kingbirds eat Squirrel Treefrogs. Oriole 61(4):7-8.
 
Chandler, C.R. and R.A. Weiss. 1996. Avifauna of the Newport Army Ammunition Plant, Vermillion County, Indiana. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 105(1,2):69-85.
 
Chandler, C.R. and M.S. Woodrey. 1995. Status of the Henslow's Sparrow during winter in coastal Mississippi. Mississippi Kite 25(2):20-24.
 
Chandler, C.R. 1995. Practical considerations in the use of simultaneous inference for multiple tests. Animal Behaviour 49(2):524-527.
 
Chandler, C.R., E.D. Ketterson, and V. Nolan Jr. 1995. Spatial aspects of roost-site selection in breeding male Dark-eyed Juncos. Condor 97(1):279-282.
 
Chandler, C.R. 1995. Review of White Ibis: wetland wanderer. Animal Behaviour 49(1):269-270.
 
Chandler, C.R., M.S. Woodrey, and J.M. Cawthorn. 1994. Breeding by the Black-and-White Warbler (Mniotilta varia) in southern Mississippi. Mississippi Kite 24(1):2-4.
 
Chandler, C.R., E.D. Ketterson, V. Nolan Jr., and C. Ziegenfus. 1994. Effects of testosterone on spatial activity in free-ranging male Dark-eyed Juncos, Junco hyemalis. Animal Behaviour 47(6):1445-1455. (PDF)
 
Chandler, C.R. 1994. Review of Evolution and the recognition concept of species. The collected writings of Hugh E.H. Paterson. Animal Behaviour 47(1):240-242.
 
Nolan, V., Jr., E.D. Ketterson, C. Ziegenfus, D.P. Cullen, and C.R. Chandler. 1992. Testosterone and avian life histories: effects of experimentally elevated testosterone on prebasic molt and survival in male Dark-eyed Juncos. Condor 94(2):364-370.
 
Chandler, C.R. and R.S. Mulvihill. 1992. The effects of age, sex, and fat level on wing loading in the Dark-eyed Junco. Auk 109(2):235-241.
 
Mulvihill, R.S. and C.R. Chandler. 1991. A comparison of wing shape between migratory and sedentary Dark-eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis). Condor 93(1):172-175.
 
Mulvihill, R.S. and C.R. Chandler. 1990. The relationship between wing shape and differential migration in Dark-eyed Juncos. Auk 107(3):490-499.
 
Chandler, C.R. and P.J. Tolson. 1990. Habitat use by a boid snake, Epicrates monensis, and its anoline prey, Anolis cristatellus. Journal of Herpetology 24(2):151-157.
 
Chandler, C.R. and R.S. Mulvihill. 1990. Wing-shape variation and differential timing of migration in Dark-eyed Juncos. Condor 92(1):54-61.
 
Chandler, C.R. and R.S. Mulvihill. 1990. Interpreting differential timing of capture of sex classes during spring migration. Journal of Field Ornithology 61(1):85-89.
 
Chandler, C.R. and M.H. Gromko. 1989. On the relationship between species concepts and speciation processes. Systematic Zoology 38(2):116-125.
 
Chandler, C.R. and R.S. Mulvihill. 1988. The use of wing shape indices: an evaluation. Ornis Scandinavica 19(3):212-216.
 
Chandler, C.R. and R.K. Rose. 1988. Comparative analysis of the effects of visual and auditory stimuli on avian mobbing behavior. Journal of Field Ornithology 59(3):269-277.
 
Graduate Students (see some PHOTOS)
 
The graduate program in the Department of Biology at Georgia Southern offers a master of science degree in biology. Teaching assistantships are available. My students carry out research on a diversity of ecological, behavioral, conservation, and management questions. Graduates from my lab have gone on to PhD programs, state and federal agencies, bird observatories, museums, education centers, teaching, and private corporations. To learn more about my graduate program, click on the links to individual students below or contact me by e-mail or phone (912-681-5657).
 CURRENT STUDENTS
 
Sara Beall, Cynthia Chan, Amy Gray, Grace Greenwood, Bill Hamrick, Jennifer Hilburn, Dee Mincey, Brandon Noel, Paul Phillips, Dan Wetzel
 
WHAT"S NEW ? Steve Hudman just got married and has finished his PhD.....Jen Savage is working in Madagascar.....Todd Nims has a new job with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources....Dee is now a permenent wildlife technician at Fort Stewart.....Gina Fuller has a new baby.....Kelly Spratt is running for city council in Darien.....Gina Zimmerman is back in Florida working for ARCI.....Bill Hamrick is working as a technician with the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study in Athens, Georgia.....Lee Mitchell and Stacy Lindemann are moving to Illinois.....Sharon DeFalco is getting married in October 2005.....Brandon Noel has moved from Little Saint Simons to the GSU campus.
 FORMER STUDENTS
 
Christi Alexander, Sharon DeFalco, Wendy Denton, Doug Faulkner, Gina Fuller, Mike Houze, Steve Hudman, Andy Kinsey, Stacy Lindemann, Jan MacKinnon, Lee Mitchell, Tiffany Neu, Jennifer Savage, Scott Somershoe, Eric Spadgenske, Kelly Spratt, Todd Nims, Ron Weiss, Gina Zimmerman
 
Teaching
 
I teach courses in the evolution, ecology, and behavior program at Georgia Southern, as well as courses in experimental design and biostatistics. During most summers, I teach a field course at the University of Virginia's Mountain Lake Biological Station.
 

 
Evolution and Ecology. This course is part of the core curriculum for biology majors at Georgia Southern University. It provides students with an introduction to the principles of evolution (incuding basic Mendelian and population genetics) and ecology.

 
Conservation Biology. This course is an upper-level elective that provides an introduction to the growing field of conservation biology. Lectures combine a strong emphasis on the theoretical basis of conservation science with abundant examples of applied problems from the current literature. Students also explore the discourse on conservation and endangered species in the popular media.

 
Ornithology. This course is an upper-level elective that deals with the biology of birds. Lectures cover the evolution, design, function, ecology, and behavior of birds with an emphasis on current research. Labs are strongly field-oriented with an emphasis on field identification and field research techniques.

 
Biometry. This graduate-level course provides a broad introduction to the statistical analysis of biological data. My approach to teaching biometry is to integrate it with basic principles of experimental design, to emphasize practical experience with statistical packages, and to rely on real biological data sets. Although this course has no lab, some lecture time is devoted to computer work.

 
Experimental Design. This graduate seminar, which complements work in biometry, provides experience with important principles of experimental design, with an emphasis on designing real-world biological experiments. We also cover design principles useful for non-experimental research.

 
Last Modified November 2006
 
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