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Dr. Stephen Threlkeld


Professor Emeritus of Biology
Department of Biology
The University of Mississippi

Contact:

E-mail: stt@olemiss.edu
Telephone: (662) 915-7203
FAX: (662) 915-5144


 

Education:

Ph.D. (Zoology), Michigan State University (1977)
B.S. (Biological Oceanography), University of Washington (1972)

Dissertation: The midsummer dynamics of two Daphnia species in Wintergreen Lake, Michigan.
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Background:

1968-1970 Research assistant, Institute of Medical Education and Research and Department of Biochemistry, St. Louis University School of Medicine

1971-1973 Zooplankton taxonomist, National Marine Fisheries Service, North Pacific Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, Washington

1973-1977 Graduate student, Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

1977-1979 Postdoctoral research associate, Tahoe Research Group, Division of Environmental Studies and Institute of Ecology, University of California, Davis

1979-1989 Assistant and Associate Professor, Department of Zoology and Biological Station, University of Oklahoma

1988-1989 Director, Population Biology and Physiological Ecology Program, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC

1989-1991 Director and Associate Professor of Biology, The Louis Calder Center, Fordham University, Armonk, NY

1991-present Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS

1992-1995 Associate Editor, Limnology and Oceanography

1995 Technical editor, U. N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Working Group II. Published by Cambridge Univ. Press.

1998-2008 Managing Editor, Estuaries and Coasts (formerly Estuaries)

2000-present Scientific Committee, Journal of Limnology (formerly Memorie dell’Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia)
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Teaching:

Introduction to Aquatic Biology — BISC321 Principles of freshwater biology with emphasis on factors affecting ecology and populations in diverse aquatic environments.

Ecology – BISC322 Basic principles of ecology of plants and animals.

Biometry — BISC504 A biology course on design of biological experiments and analysis of biological data using parametric and nonparametric methodology through multivariate analysis, emphasizing use of desktop analytical packages.

Advanced Field Study in Ecology — BISC530 Extended field trip experience illustrating ecological principles, biological diversity, and major biotic regions.

History of Biology — BISC571 History of major developments in biology from ancient to modern times, with emphasis on scientific methods, the role of technology, scientific communication, and societal impact.

Design and Analysis of Ecological Experiments — BISC604 Design of ecological experiments; replication, blocking, and treatment structures; analysis of designed epxeriments; procedures for data sets with missing observations or incomletely executed designs.

Limnology — BISC608 The physical, chemical, geological and biological aspects of lake and reservoir environments
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Graduate students:

Dirnberger, J.M. 1983. The influence of wind mixing and river inflow on zooplankton vertical distributions and abundance in a large impoundment. M.S. Thesis. University of Oklahoma.

Milstead, W.B. 1983. An experimental analysis of the effects of darter predation on a population of Hyalella azteca. M.S. Thesis. University of Oklahoma.

Qin, J. 1988. Experimental comparison of the effects of benthivorous and planktivorous fish on plankton community structure. M. S. Thesis. University of Oklahoma.

Richardson, W.W. 1989. The ecology of stream-dwelling zooplankton: seasonal dynamics and experimental analysis of the impact of water movement and turbidity. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Oklahoma.

Wickham, S. 1989. The response of ciliated protozoa to manipulation of nutrients and consumers in mesocosm experiments. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Oklahoma.

Cline, J. 1992. A study of the diet and condition of gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in Sardis reservoir. M.S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

East, T. 1993. A comparison of phytoplankton primary production in a flood control reservoir versus a navigational reservoir. M. S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

Chiavelli, D. A. 1995. Epibiont populations on Daphnia: Effects of habitat patch dispersion on metapopulation dynamics. M. S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

Baca, R. 1998. The use of size distributions in ecological experiments. Ph. D. Dissertation, University of Mississippi.

Brooks, B. W. 1998. Effects of food web structure on thermal profiles of aquatic systems. M. S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

Rhew, K. 1998. Autotrophic picoplankton in a southeastern reservoir: Population dynamics and regulating factors. Ph.D. Dissertation. (co-directed with C. Ochs)

Libman, B. 1999. Hydrological flushing effects on freshwater microcrustacean diapause phenology and egg bank dynamics in floodplain habitats. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Mississippi.

Galicki, S. 2002. Baldcypress dendrochemistry and sediment geochemistry in a lake fringe wetland, Sky Lake, Mississippi. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Mississippi. (co-directed with G. Davidson in Geology and Geological Engineering)

Chambers, J. 2002. Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) growth in the Little Tallahatchie River Basin: effects of a flood control dam. M. S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

White, W. 2003. Nutrient stoichiometry related stressors in agricultural wetlands. M. S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

Hodson, M. 2003. Landscape analysis of herbaceous plants in headwater riparian zones and wetlands. M.S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.

Boyer, S. M. 2011. Response of riparian plant communities to hydrological alteration: Are seed banks a means of resoration. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Mississippi

Aldridge, C. 2017. M.S. Thesis, University of Mississippi.
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Research:

Interests
Limnology, fish-plankton-benthos trophic interactions, reservoir flood and turbidity effects on plankton, community ecology, ecology of epibionts, design and analysis of field experiments, multiple stressor effects on agricultural wetlands.

Current and Recent Research Projects

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1996-1998. $878,027. Mississippi EPA-EPSCoR.

National Science Foundation. 1996-1999. $110,000. Assessment of community size structure in adjacent habitats: an exploratory experimental study of the benthic-pelagic system.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1998-2001. $897,634. Effects of interacting stressors in agricultural ecosystems: mesocosm and field evaluation of multi-level indicators of wetland responses.

National Science Foundation. 1999-2002. $ 188,721. Acquisition of Instrumentation for Analysis of Materials and Energy Flux in Biological Systems. Collaborative with Cliff Ochs, Principal Investigator, and Stephen Secor, Stephen Brewer, and Marge Holland

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 2000-2005. $3,826,459. The University of Mississippi Geoinformatics Center. Collaborative with Greg Easson, Principal Investigator, and Jay Johnson and Pam Lawhead.
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Publications:

Galicki, S., G. Davidson, and S. Threlkeld. 2008. Transport of agricultural Pb, As and P through a ripiarian wetland. American Midland Naturalist 159:457-467.

Galicki, S., G. Davidson, and S. Threlkeld. 2008. Element mobility in bald cypress xylem. Tree Ring Research 69:39-46.

Fourqurean, J. W., C. M. Duarte, M. D. Kershaw and S. T. Threlkeld. 2008. Estuaries and Coasts as an outlet for research in coastal ecosystems: a bibliometric study. Estuaries and Coasts 31:469-476. DOI 10.10007/s12237-008-9046-7

Threlkeld, S. T. 2006. Announcing Estuaries and Coasts, Journal of the Estuarine Research Federation. Estuaries and Coasts. 29(1):1-3.

Davidson, G. R., B. C. Laine, S. J. Galicki, and S.Threlkeld. 2006. Root zone hydrology: why bald cypress in flooded wetlands grow more when it rains. Tree Ring Research 62:3-12.

Frisch, Dagmar and Stephen. T. Threlkeld. 2005. Flood-mediated dispersal versus hatching: early recolonisation strategies of copepods in floodplain ponds. Freshwater Biology 50: 323-330.

Frisch, Dagmar, Bruce S. Libman, Stephen J. D’Surney and Stephen T. Threlkeld. 2005. Diversity of floodplain copepods (Crustacea) modified by flooding: species richness, diapause strategies and population genetics. Archiv fur Hydrobiol. 162:1-17.

Duarte, C. M., S. Nixon, and S. Threlkeld. 2005. The H. T. Odum Synthesis Essay, a new section in Estuaries. Estuaries 28:1.

Threlkeld, S. 2001. Book Review: Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds; Writing Successful Science Proposals; Winning the Games Scientists Play: Strategies for Enhancing your Career in Science. Estuaries 24:653-654.

Baca, R. M. and S. T. Threlkeld. 2000. The effects of toxicants on planktonic systems: an integrated approach using the analysis of size distributions. J. Aquatic Ecosystem Stress Recovery 8:95-105.

Baca, R. M. and S. T. Threlkeld. 2000. Experimental test of nutrient and fish effects on size distributions of N:P. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 27:1981-1985.

Gophen, M., V. H. Smith, A. Nishri and S. T. Threlkeld. 1999. Nitrogen deficiency, phosphorus sufficiency, and the invasion of Lake Kinneret, Israel, by the N2-fixing cyanobacterium, Aphanizomenon ovalisporum. Aquatic Sciences 61:293-306.

Rhew, K., R.M. Baca, C.A. Ochs, and S.T. Threlkeld. 1999. Interaction effects of fish, nutrients, mixing and sediments on autotrophic picoplankton and algal composition. Freshwater Biology, 42:99-109.

Libman, B. S. and S. T. Threlkeld. 1999. Diapause phenology and egg bank dynamics of the copepod Diaptomus pallidus (Copepoda:Calanoida) in relation to annual flood cycles. Arch. Hydrobiol. 145:349-358.

Britson, C. A. and S. T. Threlkeld. 1998. Abundance, metamorphosis, developmental, and behavioral abnormalities in Hyla chrysoscelis tadpoles following exposure to three agrichemicals and methyl mercury in outdoor mesocosms. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 61:154-161.

Willey, R.L. and S.T. Threlkeld. 1995. Changes in epibiotic burden during the intermolt of Daphnia determined by hypodermal retraction stages. Hydrobiologia 307:213-219.

Threlkeld, S.T., D.A. Chiavelli, and R.L. Willey. 1993. The organization of zooplankton epibiont communities. Trends Ecol. Evol. 8:317-321.
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Service:

Chairman, Population Genetics Search Committee, 2009

National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Member

University Assessment Committee, 2003-2005

University Instructional Technology Standing Committee, 2003-2005

Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Fellowship Committee, 2003-2005

National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, Board on Natural Resources, 2001-2004

Department of Biology Chair Search Committee, 2003

Chair, Evolution/Population Genetics of Host-Parasite or Symbiotic Interactions Search Committee, 1999-2000

College of Liberal Arts Tenure and Promotion Committee, Member, 2000-2002; Chair, 2002

Chancellor’s Task Force on Academic Computing, 1998

Research Advisory Committee, 1998-2000

User Committee, University of Mississippi Field Station, 1998-2003

Library Council, University of Mississippi, 1998

Sea Grant Advisory Committee, University of Mississippi, 1999
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