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
Climatic variation and tortoise survival: has a desert species met its match?
While demographic changes in short-lived species may be observed relatively quickly in response to climate changes, measuring population responses of long-lived species requires long-term studies that are not always available. We analyzed data from a population of threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a 2.59 km2 study plot in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of Joshua Tree Nati
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Charles B. Yackulic, Jerry Freilich, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Katherine P. Meyer, Terence R. Arundel, Jered Hansen, Michael S. Vamstad, Stephanie A. Root
Sexual dimorphism and feeding ecology of Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)
Natural and sexual selection are frequently invoked as causes of sexual size dimorphism in animals. Many species of turtles, including the Diamond-backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), exhibit sexual dimorphism in body size, possibly enabling the sexes to exploit different resources and reduce intraspecific competition. Female terrapins not only have larger body sizes but also disproportionately
Authors
Elizabeth B. Underwood, Sarah Bowers, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Carole A. Taylor, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Michael E. Dorcas
Nest guarding by female Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California
We observed behavior consistent with nest-guarding in Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at two nests in a large wind-energy-generation facility near Palm Springs, California, locally known as the Mesa Wind Farm. As researchers approached the nests, female desert tortoises moved to the entrance of their burrows and positioned themselves sideways, directly over their nests. One female s
Authors
Mickey Agha, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Ethan Wilcox
A quantitative analysis of the state of knowledge of turtles of the United States and Canada
The “information age” ushered in an explosion of knowledge and access to knowledge that continues to revolutionize society. Knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of published papers, has been growing at an exponential rate since the early 1970s, a phenomenon mirrored in all scientific disciplines. Although knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of citations for papers in scientifi
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Assessing the state of knowledge of utility-scale wind energy development and operation on non-volant terrestrial and marine wildlife
A great deal has been published in the scientific literature regarding the effects of wind energy development and operation on volant (flying) wildlife including birds and bats, although knowledge of how to mitigate negative impacts is still imperfect. We reviewed the peer-reviewed scientific literature for information on the known and potential effects of utility-scale wind energy development and
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
A history of herpetologists and herpetology in the U.S. Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has a long and distinguished history of employing herpetologists to conduct basic and applied research to better manage amphibian and reptile populations on public lands and even outside the boundaries of the United States. This history extends back over 125 years with roots in the U.S. Biological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land M
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Norman J. Scott, R. Bruce Bury, C. Kenneth Dodd, Roy W. McDiarmid
Clutch and egg allometry of the turtle Mauremys leprosa (Chelonia: Geoemydidae) from a polluted peri-urban river in west-central Morocco
We examined the relationships of clutch size (CS) and egg size to female body size (straight-line carapace length, CL) in a population of the turtle Mauremys leprosa from a polluted segment of oued (river) Tensift in arid west-central Morocco. Twenty-eight adult females were collected in May–July, 2009 and all were gravid. Each was weighed, measured, humanely euthanized and then dissected. Oviduct
Authors
Mohamed Naimi, Mohammed Znari, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Youssef Feddadi, Moulay Abdeljalil Ait Baamrane
Optimal egg size in a suboptimal environment: reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in central Arizona, USA
We studied the reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, a chemically-challenging natural wetland in central Arizona, USA. Females matured between 115.5 and 125 mm carapace length (CL) and 36-54% produced eggs each year. Eggs were detected in X-radiographs from 23 April-28 September (2007-2008) and the highest proportion (56%) of adult females wi
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, Charles A. Drost, Anthony J. Monatesti, Dennis Casper, Mohammed Znari
Nesting ecology of a population of Gopherus agassizii at a utility-scale wind energy facility in southern California
We investigated the annual nesting ecology of a population of Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) inhabiting a utility-scale renewable energy (USRE) facility in southern California and compared our results with populations inhabiting relatively undisturbed sites. In 2000, 15 radio-tracked females produced 29 clutches, and 24 nests were monitored to examine nest-site selection, nest predation, ha
Authors
Joshua R. Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Katherin P. Meyer, Curtis Bjurlin, Terence R. Arundel
Removal of nonnative slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) and effects on native Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, Yavapai County, Arizona
The National Park Service (NPS) estimates that 234 national parks contain nonnative, invasive animal species that are of management concern (National Park Service, 2004). Understanding and controlling invasive species is thus an important priority within the NPS (National Park Service, 1996). The slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) is one such invasive species. Native to the Southeastern United Stat
Authors
Charles A. Drost, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, A.J. Monatesti
Gopherus agassizii (Desert Tortoise). Non-native seed dispersal
Sahara Mustard (Brassica tournefortii) is a non-native, highly invasive weed species of southwestern U.S. deserts. Sahara Mustard is a hardy species, which flourishes under many conditions including drought and in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats (West and Nabhan 2002. In B. Tellman [ed.], Invasive Plants: Their Occurrence and Possible Impact on the Central Gulf Coast of Sonora and the Midr
Authors
J.R. Ennen, Caleb L. Loughran, Jeffrey E. Lovich
Gopherus agassizii (desert tortoise). Burrow collapse
In the deserts of the southwestern U.S., burrows are utilized by the Desert Tortoise to escape environmental extremes (reviewed by Ernst and Lovich 2009. Turtles of the United States and Canada. 2nd ed. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 827 pp.). However, the potential for mortality through burrow collapse and entrapment is poorly documented. Nicholson and Humphreys (1981. Proceeding
Authors
Caleb L. Loughran, Joshua Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich
Filter Total Items: 13
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 107
Climatic variation and tortoise survival: has a desert species met its match?
While demographic changes in short-lived species may be observed relatively quickly in response to climate changes, measuring population responses of long-lived species requires long-term studies that are not always available. We analyzed data from a population of threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) at a 2.59 km2 study plot in the Sonoran Desert ecosystem of Joshua Tree Nati
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Charles B. Yackulic, Jerry Freilich, Mickey Agha, Meaghan Austin, Katherine P. Meyer, Terence R. Arundel, Jered Hansen, Michael S. Vamstad, Stephanie A. Root
Sexual dimorphism and feeding ecology of Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)
Natural and sexual selection are frequently invoked as causes of sexual size dimorphism in animals. Many species of turtles, including the Diamond-backed Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin), exhibit sexual dimorphism in body size, possibly enabling the sexes to exploit different resources and reduce intraspecific competition. Female terrapins not only have larger body sizes but also disproportionately
Authors
Elizabeth B. Underwood, Sarah Bowers, Jacquelyn C. Guzy, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Carole A. Taylor, J. Whitfield Gibbons, Michael E. Dorcas
Nest guarding by female Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at a wind-energy facility near Palm Springs, California
We observed behavior consistent with nest-guarding in Agassiz's desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) at two nests in a large wind-energy-generation facility near Palm Springs, California, locally known as the Mesa Wind Farm. As researchers approached the nests, female desert tortoises moved to the entrance of their burrows and positioned themselves sideways, directly over their nests. One female s
Authors
Mickey Agha, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen, Ethan Wilcox
A quantitative analysis of the state of knowledge of turtles of the United States and Canada
The “information age” ushered in an explosion of knowledge and access to knowledge that continues to revolutionize society. Knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of published papers, has been growing at an exponential rate since the early 1970s, a phenomenon mirrored in all scientific disciplines. Although knowledge about turtles, as measured by number of citations for papers in scientifi
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
Assessing the state of knowledge of utility-scale wind energy development and operation on non-volant terrestrial and marine wildlife
A great deal has been published in the scientific literature regarding the effects of wind energy development and operation on volant (flying) wildlife including birds and bats, although knowledge of how to mitigate negative impacts is still imperfect. We reviewed the peer-reviewed scientific literature for information on the known and potential effects of utility-scale wind energy development and
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Joshua R. Ennen
A history of herpetologists and herpetology in the U.S. Department of the Interior
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) has a long and distinguished history of employing herpetologists to conduct basic and applied research to better manage amphibian and reptile populations on public lands and even outside the boundaries of the United States. This history extends back over 125 years with roots in the U.S. Biological Survey, the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land M
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Norman J. Scott, R. Bruce Bury, C. Kenneth Dodd, Roy W. McDiarmid
Clutch and egg allometry of the turtle Mauremys leprosa (Chelonia: Geoemydidae) from a polluted peri-urban river in west-central Morocco
We examined the relationships of clutch size (CS) and egg size to female body size (straight-line carapace length, CL) in a population of the turtle Mauremys leprosa from a polluted segment of oued (river) Tensift in arid west-central Morocco. Twenty-eight adult females were collected in May–July, 2009 and all were gravid. Each was weighed, measured, humanely euthanized and then dissected. Oviduct
Authors
Mohamed Naimi, Mohammed Znari, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Youssef Feddadi, Moulay Abdeljalil Ait Baamrane
Optimal egg size in a suboptimal environment: reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) in central Arizona, USA
We studied the reproductive ecology of female Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, a chemically-challenging natural wetland in central Arizona, USA. Females matured between 115.5 and 125 mm carapace length (CL) and 36-54% produced eggs each year. Eggs were detected in X-radiographs from 23 April-28 September (2007-2008) and the highest proportion (56%) of adult females wi
Authors
Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, Charles A. Drost, Anthony J. Monatesti, Dennis Casper, Mohammed Znari
Nesting ecology of a population of Gopherus agassizii at a utility-scale wind energy facility in southern California
We investigated the annual nesting ecology of a population of Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) inhabiting a utility-scale renewable energy (USRE) facility in southern California and compared our results with populations inhabiting relatively undisturbed sites. In 2000, 15 radio-tracked females produced 29 clutches, and 24 nests were monitored to examine nest-site selection, nest predation, ha
Authors
Joshua R. Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Katherin P. Meyer, Curtis Bjurlin, Terence R. Arundel
Removal of nonnative slider turtles (Trachemys scripta) and effects on native Sonora mud turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense) at Montezuma Well, Yavapai County, Arizona
The National Park Service (NPS) estimates that 234 national parks contain nonnative, invasive animal species that are of management concern (National Park Service, 2004). Understanding and controlling invasive species is thus an important priority within the NPS (National Park Service, 1996). The slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) is one such invasive species. Native to the Southeastern United Stat
Authors
Charles A. Drost, Jeffrey E. Lovich, Sheila V. Madrak, A.J. Monatesti
Gopherus agassizii (Desert Tortoise). Non-native seed dispersal
Sahara Mustard (Brassica tournefortii) is a non-native, highly invasive weed species of southwestern U.S. deserts. Sahara Mustard is a hardy species, which flourishes under many conditions including drought and in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats (West and Nabhan 2002. In B. Tellman [ed.], Invasive Plants: Their Occurrence and Possible Impact on the Central Gulf Coast of Sonora and the Midr
Authors
J.R. Ennen, Caleb L. Loughran, Jeffrey E. Lovich
Gopherus agassizii (desert tortoise). Burrow collapse
In the deserts of the southwestern U.S., burrows are utilized by the Desert Tortoise to escape environmental extremes (reviewed by Ernst and Lovich 2009. Turtles of the United States and Canada. 2nd ed. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 827 pp.). However, the potential for mortality through burrow collapse and entrapment is poorly documented. Nicholson and Humphreys (1981. Proceeding
Authors
Caleb L. Loughran, Joshua Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich
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