O. E. (Gene) Rhodes
Professor and Director of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Graduate Faculty
University of Georgia
P.O. Drawer E, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Aiken, SC 29802
Office: (803) 725-8191
Fax: (803) 725-3309
email: rhodes@srel.edu
Research Interests
My research interests focus on wildlife ecology and genetics, including studies of the genetic consequences of species reintroduction programs, the application of genetic tools for addressing issues in wildlife management, conservation, and disease ecology, the use of genetic markers to elucidate mating systems, movement behavior, and population structure of wildlife species, and sustainability of wildlife species in human-dominated landscapes with an emphasis on the resolution of human-wildlife conflicts.
Selected Publications
Smyser, T.J., S.A. Johnson, L.K. Page, C.M. Hudson, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Experimental translocation of an imperiled rodent: Response of Allegheny woodrats to Baylisascaris procyonis mitigation and genetic rescue. Conservation Biology (Accepted)
Dharmarajan, G., J. C. Beasley, J. A. Fike, E. A. Raizman, C. C. Wu, R. M. Pogranichniy and Olin E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Effects of kin-structure on disease dynamics in raccoons (Procyon lotor) inhabiting a fragmented landscape. Basic and Applied Ecology (In Press).
Dharmarajan, G., W.S. Beatty and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Heterozygote deficiencies caused by a Wahlund effect: dispelling unfounded expectations. Journal of Wildlife Management (In Press).
Olson, Z.H., J.C. Beasley, T.L. DeVault, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Scavenging community response to the removal of a dominant scavenger. Oikos 121:77-84.
Beatty, W.S., J.C. Beasley, G. Dharmarajan, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Genetic structure of a Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) population inhabiting a fragmented agricultural ecosystem. Canadian Journal of Zoology 90:101–109.
Latch, E.K., E.M. Kierepka, J.R. Heffelfinger, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Hybrid swarm between divergent lineages of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). Molecular Ecology 20:5265-5279.
Olson, Z.H., D.G. Whittaker, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Evaluation of experimental genetic management in reintroduced bighorn sheep. Ecology and Evolution. 2:429-443.
Smyser, T.J., S.A. Johnson, K.L. Page, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Synergistic Stressors and the dilemma of conservation in a multivariate world: A case study in Allegheny woodrats. Animal Conservation. 15:205-213.
Smyser, T.J., J.E. Duchamp, S.A. Johnson, J.L. Larkin, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. Consequences of metapopulation collapse: Comparison of genetic attributes between two Allegheny woodrat metapopulations. Conservation Genetics. 13:849-858.
Beasley, J.C., W.S. Beatty, T.C. Atwood, S.R. Johnson, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2012. A Comparison of Methods for Estimating Raccoon Abundance: Implications for Disease Vaccination Programs Journal of Wildlife Management. 76:1290-1297.
Beasley, J.C. and O.E. Rhodes. 2012. Are raccoons limited by the availability of breeding resources? Evidence of variability in Fecundity at fine spatial scales. Journal of Wildlife Management 76:1718-1724.
Dharmarajan, G., J.C. Beasley, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Heterozygote deficiencies in parasite component populations: An evaluation of alternative hypotheses in the raccoon tick (Ixodes texanus). Heredity 106:253-260.
Page, L.K., J.C. Beasley, Z.H. Olson, T.J. Smyser, M. Downey, K. Kellner, S. McCord, T.S. Eagan, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Evaluation of an in situ experimental prevention method for raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) via anthelmintic baiting: Implications for the management of Infectious diseases. Emerging Infectious Diseases 17:90-93.
Kimble, S.J.A., J.A. Fike, O.E. Rhodes, Jr. and R.N. Williams. 2011. Identification of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina). Conservation Genetics Resources. 3:65-67.
Dharmarajan, G. and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Evaluating levels of PCR efficiency and genotyping error in DNA extracted from engorged versus non-engorged females. Medical and Veterinary Entomology 25:109-112.
Rella-Hapeman, P., E.K. Latch, J.A. Fike, O.E. Rhodes, Jr. and C.W. Kilpatrick. 2011. Landscape Genetics of Fishers (Martes pennanti) in the Northeast: Dispersal Barriers and Historical Influences. Journal of Heredity 102:251-259.
DeVault, T.L., Z.H. Olson, J.C. Beasley, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Mesopredators dominate competition for carrion in an agricultural landscape. Basic and Applied Ecology 12:268-274.
Eagan, T.S., II, J.C. Beasley, Z.H. Olson, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Response of small mammal populations to the removal of a generalist mesopredator in a fragmented, agricultural landscape. Canadian Journal of Zoology 89:724-731.
Beasley, J.C., Z.H. Olson, G. Dharmarajan, T.S. Eagan, II, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Spatio temporal variation in the demographic attributes of a generalist mesopredator. Landscape Ecology 26:937-950.
Atwood, T.C., J.K. Young, J.P. Beckman, S.W. Breck, J.A. Fike, O.E. Rhodes, Jr., and K. Bristow. 2011. Modeling connectivity of black bears in a desert sky island archipelago. Biological Conservation. 144:2851-2862.
Greiner, E.C., A.M. Fedynich, S.L. Webb, T.L. DeVault, and O.E. Rhodes, Jr. 2011. Hematozoa and a new haemoproteid species from Cathartidae (New World Vultures) in South Carolina. J. Parisitology 97:1137-1139.
O. E. (Gene) Rhodes
