Jeffrey E Lovich, Ph.D.
As a Research Ecologist, Jeff is interested in the interactions of animals and their physical environment. Current research is focused on the ecology of turtles and tortoises and the effects of utility-scale renewable energy development (wind and solar) on wildlife, particularly in the Desert Southwest USA.
Dr. Lovich Wins Prestigious Global Turtle Conservation Award
Dr. Lovich Wins Prestigious Global Turtle Conservation Award
Research interests
Jeff has studied the ecology and systematics of turtles and other animals for over 30 years, discovering and naming four of the world’s 356 turtle species, including three in the United States and one in Japan. Other interests include the ecological impacts of invasive species, the ecology and distribution of relict species, and the impacts of human activities (including wind and solar energy development) on wildlife and ecological patterns and processes in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts.
Books
- Turtles of the United States and Canada (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1994)
- Biological Diversity: Problems and Challenges (Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 1994)
- The State of the Colorado River Ecosystem in the Grand Canyon (U.S. Geological Survey, 2005)
- Turtles of the United States and Canada, Second Edition (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009)
- Turtles of the World (Princeton University Press, 2021)
Professional Experience
Center Director - USGS, Western Ecological Research Center
Chief - USGS, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center
Education and Certifications
B.S. (1982) and M.S. degrees (1984) Biology, George Mason University
Ph.D. (1990) Ecology, University of Georgia, Institute of Ecology
Affiliations and Memberships*
Member IUCN (World Conservation Union), Species Survival Commission, Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group
Honors and Awards
Recipient of the Behler Turtle Conservation Award, 2024
Fulbright Senior Specialist Award 2008 Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco
Elected Fellow of The Linnean Society of London, the world's oldest active biological society
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 107
Nest-site characteristics of Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Nest-site selection can affect both the survival and fitness of female turtles and their offspring. In many turtle species, the nest environment determines the thermal regime during incubation, length of incubation period, sex ratio of the hatchlings, and exposure to predators and other forms of mortality for both mothers and their offspring. Between 1974 and 2012, we collected detailed data on ha
Authors
Robert T. Zappalorti, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Ray F. Farrell, Michael E. Torocco
Hybridization of two megacephalic map turtles (testudines: emydidae: Graptemys) in the Choctawhatchee River drainage of Alabama and Florida
Map turtles of the genus Graptemys are highly aquatic and rarely undergo terrestrial movements, and limited dispersal among drainages has been hypothesized to drive drainage-specific endemism and high species richness of this group in the southeastern United States. Until recently, two members of the megacephalic “pulchra clade,” Graptemys barbouri andGraptemys ernsti, were presumed to be allopatr
Authors
James Godwin, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Brian R. Kreiser, Brian Folt, Chris Lechowicz
A 21-year study of seasonal and interspecific variation of hatchling emergence in a nearctic freshwater turtle community: to overwinter or not to overwinter?
Hatchling emergence patterns were studied in a community of six species of freshwater turtles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. including: Chelydra serpentina, Chrysemys picta, Clemmys guttata, Glyptemys insculpta, G. muhlenbergii, and Sternotherus odoratus. Data were collected every year from 1965 to 1985 on estimated date of emergence, carapace length, April – May precipitation, August –
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Carl H. Ernst, Evelyn M. Ernst, Julia L. Riley
Graptemys gibbonsi Lovich and McCoy -- Pascagoula Map Turtle
DEFINITION. The Pascagoula Map Turtle, Graptemys gibbonsi, is a large riverine species that exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, where females attain a maximum carapace length (CL) of 295 mm and males a maximum of 141 mm (Lovich et al. 2009). Mean adult female CL (248 mm) can be well over twice the mean CL of adult males (104 mm; Gibbons and Lovich 1990, Lovich et al. 2009). In addition, females
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Traditional cultural use as a tool for inferring biogeography and provenance: a case study involving painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and Hopi Native American culture in Arizona, USA
Inferring the natural distribution and native status of organisms is complicated by the role of ancient and modern humans in utilization and translocation. Archaeological data and traditional cultural use provide tools for resolving these issues. Although the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) has a transcontinental range in the United States, populations in the Desert Southwest are scattered and is
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Charles T. LaRue, Charles A. Drost, Terence R. Arundel
Nest site characteristics, nesting movements, and lack of long-term nest site fidelity in Agassiz's desert tortoises at a wind energy facility in southern California
Nest site selection has important consequences for maternal and offspring survival and fitness. Females of some species return to the same nesting areas year after year. We studied nest site characteristics, fidelity, and daily pre-nesting movements in a population of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind energy facility in southern California during two field seasons separated
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Charles B. Yackulic, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Curtis Bjurlin, Joshua R. Ennen, Terry R. Arundel, Meaghan Austin
Black bears (Ursus americanus) as a novel potential predator of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a California wind energy facility
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, David Delaney, Jessica Briggs, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Jason Reese
Clinal variation or validation of a subspecies? A case study of the Graptemys nigrinoda complex (Testudines: Emydidae)
Widely distributed species often display intraspecific morphological variation due to the abiotic and biotic gradients experienced across their ranges. Historically, in many vertebrate taxa, such as birds and reptiles, these morphological differences within a species were used to delimit subspecies. Graptemys nigrinoda is an aquatic turtle species endemic to the Mobile Bay Basin. Colour pattern an
Authors
Joshua R. Ennen, Marley E. Kalis, Adam L. Patterson, Brian R. Kreiser, Jeffrey E. Lovich, James Godwin, Carl P. Qualls
Does the timing of attainment of maturity influence sexual size dimorphism and adult sex ratio in turtles?
The attainment of sexual maturity has been shown to affect measures of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and adult sex ratios in several groups of vertebrates. Using data for turtles, we tested the model that sex ratios are expected to be male-biased when females are larger than males and female-biased when males are larger than females because of the relationship of each with the attainment of maturit
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Mickey Agha
Graptemys pulchra Baur 1893: Alabama Map Turtle
The Alabama Map Turtle, Graptemys pulchra (Family Emydidae), is a moderately large riverine species endemic to the Mobile Bay drainage system of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Sexual size dimorphism is pronounced, with adult females (carapace length [CL] to 273 mm) attaining more than twice the size of adult males (CL to 117 mm). The species is an inhabitant of relatively large, swift creeks a
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, James C. Godwin, C.J. McCoy
Managing invasive red-eared slider turtles in Japan
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich
Reptilia: Testudines: Emydidae Graptemys gibbonsi - Pascagoula Map Turtle
The Pascagoula Map Turtle, Graptemys gibbonsi, is a large riverine species that exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, where females attain a maximum carapace length (CL) of 295 mm and males a maximum of 141 mm (Lovich et al. 2009). Mean adult female CL (248 mm) can be well over twice the mean CL of adult males (104 mm; Gibbons and Lovich 1990, Lovich et al. 2009). In addition, females have conspi
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Filter Total Items: 13
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 107
Nest-site characteristics of Glyptemys muhlenbergii (Bog Turtle) in New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Nest-site selection can affect both the survival and fitness of female turtles and their offspring. In many turtle species, the nest environment determines the thermal regime during incubation, length of incubation period, sex ratio of the hatchlings, and exposure to predators and other forms of mortality for both mothers and their offspring. Between 1974 and 2012, we collected detailed data on ha
Authors
Robert T. Zappalorti, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Ray F. Farrell, Michael E. Torocco
Hybridization of two megacephalic map turtles (testudines: emydidae: Graptemys) in the Choctawhatchee River drainage of Alabama and Florida
Map turtles of the genus Graptemys are highly aquatic and rarely undergo terrestrial movements, and limited dispersal among drainages has been hypothesized to drive drainage-specific endemism and high species richness of this group in the southeastern United States. Until recently, two members of the megacephalic “pulchra clade,” Graptemys barbouri andGraptemys ernsti, were presumed to be allopatr
Authors
James Godwin, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Brian R. Kreiser, Brian Folt, Chris Lechowicz
A 21-year study of seasonal and interspecific variation of hatchling emergence in a nearctic freshwater turtle community: to overwinter or not to overwinter?
Hatchling emergence patterns were studied in a community of six species of freshwater turtles in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. including: Chelydra serpentina, Chrysemys picta, Clemmys guttata, Glyptemys insculpta, G. muhlenbergii, and Sternotherus odoratus. Data were collected every year from 1965 to 1985 on estimated date of emergence, carapace length, April – May precipitation, August –
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Carl H. Ernst, Evelyn M. Ernst, Julia L. Riley
Graptemys gibbonsi Lovich and McCoy -- Pascagoula Map Turtle
DEFINITION. The Pascagoula Map Turtle, Graptemys gibbonsi, is a large riverine species that exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, where females attain a maximum carapace length (CL) of 295 mm and males a maximum of 141 mm (Lovich et al. 2009). Mean adult female CL (248 mm) can be well over twice the mean CL of adult males (104 mm; Gibbons and Lovich 1990, Lovich et al. 2009). In addition, females
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Traditional cultural use as a tool for inferring biogeography and provenance: a case study involving painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and Hopi Native American culture in Arizona, USA
Inferring the natural distribution and native status of organisms is complicated by the role of ancient and modern humans in utilization and translocation. Archaeological data and traditional cultural use provide tools for resolving these issues. Although the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) has a transcontinental range in the United States, populations in the Desert Southwest are scattered and is
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Charles T. LaRue, Charles A. Drost, Terence R. Arundel
Nest site characteristics, nesting movements, and lack of long-term nest site fidelity in Agassiz's desert tortoises at a wind energy facility in southern California
Nest site selection has important consequences for maternal and offspring survival and fitness. Females of some species return to the same nesting areas year after year. We studied nest site characteristics, fidelity, and daily pre-nesting movements in a population of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind energy facility in southern California during two field seasons separated
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Mickey Agha, Charles B. Yackulic, Kathie Meyer-Wilkins, Curtis Bjurlin, Joshua R. Ennen, Terry R. Arundel, Meaghan Austin
Black bears (Ursus americanus) as a novel potential predator of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a California wind energy facility
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, David Delaney, Jessica Briggs, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Jason Reese
Clinal variation or validation of a subspecies? A case study of the Graptemys nigrinoda complex (Testudines: Emydidae)
Widely distributed species often display intraspecific morphological variation due to the abiotic and biotic gradients experienced across their ranges. Historically, in many vertebrate taxa, such as birds and reptiles, these morphological differences within a species were used to delimit subspecies. Graptemys nigrinoda is an aquatic turtle species endemic to the Mobile Bay Basin. Colour pattern an
Authors
Joshua R. Ennen, Marley E. Kalis, Adam L. Patterson, Brian R. Kreiser, Jeffrey E. Lovich, James Godwin, Carl P. Qualls
Does the timing of attainment of maturity influence sexual size dimorphism and adult sex ratio in turtles?
The attainment of sexual maturity has been shown to affect measures of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and adult sex ratios in several groups of vertebrates. Using data for turtles, we tested the model that sex ratios are expected to be male-biased when females are larger than males and female-biased when males are larger than females because of the relationship of each with the attainment of maturit
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Mickey Agha
Graptemys pulchra Baur 1893: Alabama Map Turtle
The Alabama Map Turtle, Graptemys pulchra (Family Emydidae), is a moderately large riverine species endemic to the Mobile Bay drainage system of Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Sexual size dimorphism is pronounced, with adult females (carapace length [CL] to 273 mm) attaining more than twice the size of adult males (CL to 117 mm). The species is an inhabitant of relatively large, swift creeks a
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, James C. Godwin, C.J. McCoy
Managing invasive red-eared slider turtles in Japan
No abstract available.
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich
Reptilia: Testudines: Emydidae Graptemys gibbonsi - Pascagoula Map Turtle
The Pascagoula Map Turtle, Graptemys gibbonsi, is a large riverine species that exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, where females attain a maximum carapace length (CL) of 295 mm and males a maximum of 141 mm (Lovich et al. 2009). Mean adult female CL (248 mm) can be well over twice the mean CL of adult males (104 mm; Gibbons and Lovich 1990, Lovich et al. 2009). In addition, females have conspi
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Filter Total Items: 13
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government